It All Started With a Birthday Card
by IheartHPandPenguins
Summary: Scorpius Malfoy is the typical arrogant bastard of Hogwarts. But on his sixteenth birthday he receives a strange anonymous birthday card, and the answer to finding out who sent it doesn't come until seventh year. Rose Weasley seems to be cropping up everywhere, especially since she's Head Girl and he's Head Boy. Rose has been his enemy forever, but this year it might be different.
1. Birthday Punch

It All Started With a Birthday Card

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A Rose and Scorpius Fan Fiction

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Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns all of the characters! Except the ones I made up; Professor Swandil, Alex Butler, Lee Smith, etc.

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Prologue

Before I begin, let me tell you something. I, Scorpius Malfoy, am sworn enemies with the Weasleys and Potters. The whole lot of them are mental. Me, being a Slytherin, are also enemies with them because their whole clan is in Gryffindor. I don't mean literally, like, James Potter, Albus Potter, Lily Potter, and Rose Weasley are in Gryffindor. Hugo is in Hufflepuff, Teddy Lupin and Victorie Weasley were sorted into Ravenclaw. There's more, but I don't want to go into depth. My dad sort of _knows _the Potters and Weasleys, so he makes his point clear to be rude as hell to them. My mum was sort of unknown, she laid low, so she doesn't know them. Like Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley, whatever. But of course, _everyone _knows Harry Potter. But she says to be nice to them. Just because they're fellow _classmates. _But of course, they give me their own reasons to insult them. I always trusted my father's word anyway. Since Hugo's not a Gryffindor, he and I are friends. Sort of. Like, every once and a while he invites me over to his house for the holidays. I try to be polite to Mr. and Mrs. Potter, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley (etc. the adults), just because it's the right thing to do. (But I still hate James, Albus, and Rose) And sometimes, it's actually fun. The only annoying thing is his sister. She's a pain in the butt. By the way, Albus is in my year. And that blasted Rose is too. Let me just say another thing: they have such a big family! It bugs the shit out of me seeing every single of their relatives everywhere. You wouldn't understand, seeing how you're not me. But when you see Potters and Weasleys running all over the place, it gets annoying. Oh, and I always call Rose "_Weasley." _Just because I didn't want to address her by her first name. I don't know why, but I just did. Of course, later on, it… _Changes. _Now let's start the story.

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Chapter One: Birthday Punch

Birthdays. I see it, as a day that's celebrated all for you. You're showered with gifts, love, happiness, you get my point. But on my sixteenth birthday, someone gave me something. But it wasn't a gift. That someone, was Rose Weasley.

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Let's start in the morning, on my birthday. The date was November 11, 2022. My birthday was November 11, 2006. This was towards the end of sixth year. I had gotten several presents from the three of my (closest) friends, mum and dad, a girl I didn't know from Ravenclaw (who I think was trying to flirt with me), and another fellow Slytherin girl. I had woke up to a pile of them on the floor in front of my bed. I had gotten a new broom and a silver watch from dad, a piece of cake from mum, a "sweet" (and by sweet I mean cheesy and stupid) card from the Ravenclaw girl, a pair of socks from Lee Smith (probably some joke. The other guys were laughing their faces off when I unwrapped them), an issue of _Witch Weekly _from another fourth year girl in Slytherin (who every time she walks past me she has a giggling fit), and some more garbage from my other friends Alex Butler and Dale Reid.

I had gotten ready faster than usual, and grabbed my things. I had Charms first with Professor Randset. I said goodbye to my friends (I didn't have Charms with them, duh), and left. I was in such a good mood, that I hexed a couple of first years on my way to class.

Ok, skipping forward to later that afternoon. I was walking through the hall with my friends. Now's the time to explain my friends. Lee Smith. Son of Zacharias Smith. He was a Hufflepuff in his year. Both of us, including our parents, seriously hate the Potters and Weasleys. He's got my back if I'm having a rough day. Alex Butler. He's burly, I guess. But hey, I'm not friends with him because I need muscle back-up. I'm fine on my own, for your information. But he sees the stupid in people like I do, and we both like to annoy the crud out of people. Dale Reid. He's a friend from Quidditch. He and I are both Chasers for the Slytherin team. Ok, so now you know my friends.

Now, a little bit about me. I inherited my father's stunningly good looks and blonde hair. My father was also a Quidditch player, and so am I. From my mother, the characteristics: cunning, agile, and demanding. When you read, "agile" don't go thinking Astoria Greengrass was a frail girl. She was average. Not fat, not bony. She had brown hair, but that doesn't matter. She wasn't a Seeker, but I guess you could say that she could slip out of trouble if she needed to. Demanding. She's not rude or anything, but she can get what she wants, when she wants it. My mum is actually quite nice. Anyway, with the combined qualities, you get me. I know you're thinking," Wow, that's amazing!" and, I have to applaud you for thinking that, the Potters and Weasleys are just as "amazing" as I am. Of course, the Potter kids are descendants of the "Boy Who Lived" and all that rubbish. So my father, his enemy, should be just as popular, right? WRONG. Let's just say, I don't get the attention I deserve. The Weasleys, on the other hand, are the Potters' best friends, which makes them popular too. I'm also noticed for my intelligence, but so is Rose Weasley. Weasley inherited her mother's brains, and everyone knows Hermione Granger was probably the smartest witch who had ever gone to Hogwarts. I admit it. But that doesn't make me think Rose is that cool. Ok, I'm veering off topic. Back to the story.

We were cracking jokes as we walked down the hall to Defense Against the Dark Arts. It felt so good to finally be sixteen. We watched timid little first years scurry away from us, tripping them in the process. I laughed. I love it when people blow their fuse and embarrass themselves. Anyway, we strolled down the corridor, taking our time. We came across Weasley, giggling with her friends. I pushed my long hair out of my eyes and smirked. This was going to be good.

"I see the birds are still nesting in your hair, Weasley." I sneered.

My friends laughed. Weasley shot me a dangerous look, but I couldn't care less.

"You still sneaking a pound of ice cream from the kitchens? You look like you're gaining weight." I added.

Weasley stormed over to me and one of her friends reached a hand out in anxiety, as if saying, "Don't!"

"What's your problem Malfoy?" Rose shrieked. "What the hell did I ever do to you?"

I tapped my chin with my index finger, pretending to be in thought.

"Oh yes!" I said, brightening my facial expression, and taking my index finger off my chin. "Your appearance makes me want to vomit." I said, darkening my look. "Is that what you wanted?"

My friends laughed as I returned Weasley's glare. I could tell she was on the verge of tears, and I looked at her amused. I knew this would make her mad.

"You think you're so awesome, but in reality, no one cares."

My friends laughed even harder. This technically was a lie, because yes, some people cared about goody-two-shoes' grades. At this, Weasley's tears spilled over. Her cousin Lily came forward and desperately tugged on Weasley's arm, but she didn't budge.

Weasley was top of the school, but like I said, I was a close second. If she dared take out her wand, I would be ready. But instead, quick as a flash, she raised her fist and punched me-punched my nose. My dad always vividly recounted the same thing happening to him. I know, because he told me. But instead, it was _Weasley's mum, _punching _my father. _Déjà vu. The impact made a sickening _crack_. The bitch broke my nose! The blow knocked me over, and one of Weasley's friends sniggered. My friends just stood there, frozen out of shock. I wanted to yell at them, standing there like fools and not even doing anything. Not even offering to help me. They're gonna get their butts kicked later. I propped myself up on my elbows and looked at Weasley. She stood over me looking angry, but confident. I know she was impressed, or pleased with herself, but she did a damn good job of hiding it. Blood was splattered all over my robes, but I didn't care. She took out her wand, and I went to pull out mine, but she had already muttered an incantation I couldn't hear, and- _bang. _She hit my face, and I was out.

* * *

You're probably thinking, "I thought you said you'd be ready!" But shut up.

I woke up in the Hospital Wing, laying on a soft bed, a soft pillow, but there was a literally solid cold ice pack on my face that ruined the comfort. I sat up abruptly, and the ice pack fell on the floor. I looked around, and no one was there, except Madam Pomfrey. _Where the heck were my friends?! _She rushed over, pouring me some water.

"How are you feeling Mr. Malfoy?" She asked.

It was weird being addressed as that, even though I'd heard my father being called that many times. I touched my nose. It seemed mended, but it hurt.

"Fine." I replied.

"Good."

She handed me the glass of water. I guzzled it and set it on the bedside table.

"How long have I been out?"

"Just about an hour. You can get your work from Professor Swandil."

Just in case you didn't know, Professor Swandil is the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I swung my legs over the bed and picked up my stuff.

"Thanks." I said, heading for the door. She nodded.

I found my friends waiting outside the Hospital Wing for me when I closed the door behind me. I was only worried about one thing right now.

"What did Weasley do after she knocked me out?" I asked harshly.

"Professor Randset came over." Lee said. "Weasley said that you had been in a fight and somebody broke your nose. She said that you had came up to her, 'seized her robes' and asked her to take you to the Hospital Wing."

I rolled my eyes and snorted out of my nose, but I suddenly regretted it. I touched my nose again. Gosh, I hate that girl.

The four of us had a free period, but I told them to wait outside on the grounds for me while I got my homework. They left, and I headed toward the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Again.

I wasn't technically scared of Weasley now, but I know that she can punch. Hard. But I could outsmart her in a duel any day. Everyone thinks she's so amazing. Some of the boys think she's so hot, but she isn't. She's fat, ugly, and a bunch of other crude words.

I arrive at the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. I walked up to the door. It was closed. I rapped on the door twice.

"Come in!" I heard Professor Swandil say tiredly.

I push open the door. There sat the Professor, scribbling away on a piece of parchment. His desk was overly cluttered with assignments and textbooks. He looked disheveled and tired. But it was the afternoon, how could he be? _Whatever. _I thought.

"Professor?" I asked.

Professor Swandil looked up.

"Ah! Mr. Malfoy!" He said cheerfully. "How may I help you?"

Professor Swandil was a tall man, and he looked a lot like Professor Slughorn. Except he was much thinner, and he loved to give House Points to whoever deserved them. He's an alright teacher. I mean, Potions is my favorite subject, so Professor Grayton was my favorite teacher. But he favored Weasley as much as he favored me.

"I was just wondering if I could get my homework." I said.

"Yes, yes, I have it here."

He handed me a piece of parchment. It asked me to explain the listed creatures: _Boggarts, Dementors, Red Caps, Grindylows… _There were more, but I didn't read them all. It was childish. It would be easy. I thanked him and swiftly left. I returned to the Sixth Year's Boys' Dormitory and dropped my things on my bed. The only thing I brought with me was my wand. I walked to the main entrance, and pushed open the large doors leading to the grounds.

* * *

I found my friends goofing around with each other by the lake. I walked over to them.

"… and just that Rose! She's so annoying! I mean, she annoys the crap out of us, and we return the favor!" I heard Alex laugh.

"Do you guys ever wonder if he likes her?" Dale asked the others, idly shredding a green leaf in his hands. Dale was kind of new to the group at this time.

"Nah," Lee said, throwing stones into the water, attempting to make them skip. "He insults her all the time. Why would he insult her if he likes her?"

"Yeah, I don't see him staring at her googley-eyed in class." Alex said, crossing his eyes, his mouth lolling open.

They all laughed. I tried not to make much of this conversation as I approached them.

"Hey, Scorp." Lee said, sliding off the big rock he was on.

"Did I miss anything?" I asked.

"No, we were just talking." Lee said. "We saw two first year girls excitedly taking pictures of a bunch of random things." He air mimed taking pictures, making a stupid face. "They reminded me about the Creevy boys my dad told me about." He laughed. I laughed too.

So we pretty much laughed and talked while we sat by the lake for a while.

"Hey Scorp," Dale said. "Is it true that you've dated every girl in this school?"

I shook my head. "Dale, don't be an idiot. Of _course _not."

"He's only had one girlfriend," Alex said, backing me up.

"Was it Weasley?" He asked curiously.

Alex and Lee laughed. I frowned.

"Hell, _no! _Dale, did you _see _what happened this morning?" I fumed. "Couldn't you tell that her and I are _enemies?! _She punched me in the face and then hexed me! Do you _think _I dated her?!"

"Well, I just thought, maybe she acted that way because you left her for another girl. But I was only wondering!" Dale added quickly at the expression on my face.

I sighed. Maybe he wasn't as "observant" as I thought. Just thinking about dating Weasley was sick. I mean, she already has a boyfriend: Lorcan Scamander. That doesn't even make any sense either. _Lorcan Scamander and Rose Weasley…_ But again about me. _Me dating Rose Weasley. _Listen to me. _Me. Dating my sworn enemy. _That is awkward and creepy on a whole other level. I shook my head. _Just forget about it, Scorpius, _I told myself.

I sighed, and lay down on the grass. I closed my eyes and imagined myself, flying on a broom, into the distance… The wind whipping my hair around made a nice effect.

"So what's new with you guys?" I asked, opening my eyes.

Lee turned a stone in his hand, observing it.

"Not much." He said. "School is boring as usual. Except for Defense Against the Dark Arts. That seems to be the only _useful _subject." I nodded in agreement.

He threw the stone, making it skip twice. It plopped down into the depths of the lake, making it ripple. The ripples disturbed the glassy surface. He picked up another stone.

Alex leaned against the tree, staring out over the lake.

"You ok?" I asked him.

"Yeah." Alex said, slightly nodding. "Just enjoying the peace." He closed his eyes.

Wow. That was totally un-Alex-ish. What was wrong with him? He's usually the life of the party. That's strange… I must investigate! It's like… It's almost as if… He's _hiding _something… But I decided not to ask him, knowing that I'd probably get an, "I'm fine!" The four of us sat in silence, listening to the owls hoot in the distance, and the laughter of other kids disappearing, as they went back inside for their next class.

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**A.N: Thanks for reading this! I really appreciate all of the views I get! Review?**

**I'd also like to say that I might not always frequently update. I have lots of things to do, most of which include school. But today, I decided to give you guys the first two chapters. Just so you could get a look at what you're reading.**

**-Jayna**


	2. Amortentia and Anonymous

Chapter 2: Amortentia and Anonymous

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My friends and I returned inside for our next class. Potions with Gryffindor. Great. Weasley and her gang are going to ruin my favorite subject. We grabbed our stuff from our dormitory, (we all happen to be in the same one) and set off for the Potions room. It was unusually silent, and our footsteps reverberated off the dungeon's walls. Upon our arrival, Weasley and Albus Potter were already seated. Weasley was already scribbling on a piece of parchment while Albus prepared his things the way Weasley did. I rolled my eyes. As much as I hate to say it, she's probably the only one who actually takes it _seriously, _other than me. I mean, there are some more good students, but they don't like it as much as I do. Lee, Alex, and I plopped ourselves at a table, and Dale grudgingly took the table next to ours. I sorted out my things, just as the rest of the Gryffindor and Slytherin students flooded the classroom. Professor Grayton came out of his office.

"Welcome, class. Good afternoon." He said politely.

"Good afternoon, Professor Grayton." Everyone said boringly.

"Why don't we start off with something fun, to wake everyone up?" He asked encouragingly. "Hmm… Ok, go ahead and try to make Amortentia. And, for bonus points, name the effects of Amortentia, and what it smells like to you." He smiled. "But, you cannot just do the bonus part." He added.

Some of the kids groaned and opened their books and got started. Others sat there for a minute, looking dumbfounded. I didn't though. I smirked in amusement, flipping through the pages of my Potions book.

"Page 241!" He said impatiently. He clapped his hands. "Chop, chop! Get to work!"

Psh, this will be a piece of cake. I took out the required ingredients, and glanced over at Weasley. She was already measuring out the grounded flower petals. _What?! _She was a bloody five steps ahead of me! She must've started as soon as she heard "Amortentia." I grunted to myself and counted five Porcupine Quills. I dropped them into the cauldron. They dissolved into the Potion, sizzling.

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I had finally finished. I sat back and relaxed, watching Weasley scribble stuff down on a piece of parchment. Probably doing the bonus stuff. I didn't need "bonus points." My potion was already perfect. I rubbed my eyes wearily. The smell was getting to me. Nevertheless, I deeply inhaled. I smelled ice cream, then the Hogwarts grounds... And then… Weasley… _WAIT WHAT?! _I looked up from my cauldron. She wasn't standing near me, let alone _sitting_ near me. She was two tables away. I shook my head, bewildered. Why, the _bloody hell, _would I smell _Weasley, _in my Amortentia?! She wasn't pretty, let alone _attractive_ to me_. _I opened my mouth to ask Lee if he smelled that, but then I closed it. Of course he wouldn't. Amortentia smells different, depending on what attracts everyone, yeah yeah yeah, I know. I'm not an idiot. I pressed more on the problem at hand. _Why is Weasley's scent, my bloody _enemy's _scent, in. My. AMORTENTIA?! _This wasn't even technically, logically, possible! I hate Weasley with all of my guts! All of my _life _in that matter!

Does this mean…?

_No!_

The logical side of my head and the instinctive side of my head battled.

But it had to be the case…

_It couldn't...! _

Why else…?

_You can't! She's a _Weasley _for crying out loud! A _Weasley _Scorpius! There's got to be a logical answer!_

But this _is_ the logical answer…

I… I have to have… _Feelings… _For Weasley. _NO! _I shook my head once again and rubbed my eyes. I've stated the obvious. I hate Weasley. I _hate _her. But the Potion… _No._ Not ever. I couldn't have feelings for Weasley. _But Potions don't lie! A bloody potion can't _lie,_ Scorpius! _My brain told me. I heard Professor Grayton clap his hands again. I stared into the cauldron. Weasley really _did _ruin Potions. _It's alright, Scorpius, _another voice said. _You're just over thinking it all. It was probably nothing. You're mind is just drifting. It was nothing… _I sighed. I'm going mental. I just have to relax… And forget I ever smelled Weasley's perfume in my Amortentia… I was just-probably… Well, I'm losing my mind, is what it is.

Professor Grayton came over to me with his grade book. He inhaled. I looked at him. He smiled and wrote something down. Hopefully a 100%. He moved to the next table. Lee looked at me jealously. His hair was messed up from him scratching his head so much, and his Potion was a murky brown, unlike mine. I don't really know how to describe the color of Amortentia, but it's –undoubtedly– a pretty color.

When Professor Grayton had finished taking all the grades, he announced that some of us were failing Potions, (probably more than half) so he wanted to test how many of us could make a basic Cure for Boils. And when I say "basic," I mean _basic._ It was only like, six or seven steps. I quickly poured the Amortentia out in the sink, wanting to get rid of the stupid Potion. When I rinsed out my cauldron returned to my seat, I didn't hesitate to start, and I measured ¼ cup of Snake Fangs. I poured them into my cauldron. I stuck the thermometer inside the water. I watched the line go up, until it stopped on 150 degrees. I turned the knob slightly, and it shot up to 220 degrees. Perfect. I followed the rest of the directions (four more). The last one said to stir clockwise, and then turn the gas off to let it cool. I did as it told me, and then turned the gas off. I reclined in my chair. I crossed my arms over my chest and watched-in hidden amusement- Lee attempting to complete the Potion. He _obviously _was one of the people who were failing. He did everything wrong. It was just so pitiful I can't even describe it. I tried not to turn my attention back to Weasley, but… I just wanted to see what she was doing. Without moving my head, I looked at her, out of the corner of my eye. She had her face buried in a book, while Albus confided in with a kid sitting in front of him. I rolled my eyes. Some people just didn't understand the art of Potion making.

When Potions was over, Lee and Dale were absolutely miserable. They both knew they had been failing Potions, and mumbled to each other how horrible Professor Grayton was. Alex and I were not contributing to the conversation, as both of us knew we were _passing._ I droned them out and walked back to the Slytherin Common Room without a word.

Weasley, unknowingly was walking directly behind us, chatting with Albus, her friends Katie, Rachel, and Lily tagging along too. She obviously has friends from a bunch of different houses.

"… so what does _yours _smell like, Rose?" I heard Albus ask her.

"It's um… Well chocolate frogs," Weasley started. "and then the Quidditch Pitch." Weasley played Keeper for the Gryffindor team. Just like her father, Ron Weasley. But I have to say, she _was _good.

"Do you have a third?"

"Um, no. It's just those two."

I know she was hiding something. But why? Why would she hide something from her _dear _cousin? It was a lie. Everyone had at least three things in their Amortentia. Three or more, anyway. But then again… _Why _do I care? I sighed to myself and continued walking.

* * *

All in all, it was a pretty good day, even though the Professors didn't acknowledge my birthday, and didn't cut me any slack. That doesn't matter though. As long as my friends and family remembered. When I got back to the Common Room, I found another gift on my bed… _Another card. _I thought. _I probably missed it. Probably mum. _I plopped on my bed and took the card in my hands.

"_Hi, Scorpius," _I read. It was in unfamiliar cursive._ "I just wanted to say… Happy Birthday. And… I like you. As in, I have a crush on you, like. I apologize if that makes you uncomfortable… If you find out who I am. It's just… Whenever I see you, I don't know what to say. You might think otherwise… I'm normally…_ Different. _But anyway, this is kind of embarrassing… I just hope you'll understand. I just can't hold in anymore. I had to tell you. If you see me in the hall… I might act weird. But that's because I don't know how to control how I feel. I don't know what makes me feel like this, but… It's definitely not destiny or that rubbish. I just can't describe it. Hopefully you'll find out who I am without freaking out… But let me just give you a clue… In case you want to know: I hate you. Sincerely, Anonymous."_

I finished reading. I re-read it again. Hmm… A girl's got a crush on me. I raised my eyebrow and smirked, who can resist? But… That last part… _"But let me just give you a clue… In case you want to know: I hate you." _That doesn't even make any sense! How could this girl have a crush on me, but then again _hate _me?! It's gotta be someone I wouldn't like. But the girl likes _me. _Hmm… This is going to take some time. And thought. Should I tell my friends? Of course! They might be able to help me. If you're thinking," Wow, Scorp, I can't believe you don't know! I do!" Don't be an arse.

Anyway, my friends were goofing off –well sort of- in the Common Room when I was up in the dormitory reading the _anonymously_ signed card. I set the card on my night stand and went downstairs. It was going to be time to go to the Great Hall soon. Alex and Dale were busy playing wizard chess while Lee finished up his homework. The Slytherin Common Room was quite cozy. Green velvet couches surrounded a small coffee table in the center. They were aligned into a triangle. So evidently, there are three couches. There was a fireplace on one wall, behind one of the couches, and on the opposite wall sat several tables with two chairs for each. Green and Silver banners draped the ceilings, while pictures of famous Slytherins were on the walls. A Slytherin crest tapestry was on the wall where the portrait hole was. Alex and Dale were sitting on the couches, with the chess board on the table, and Lee was at one of the tables. As I descended the stairs, Alex rubbed his chin thoughtfully, thinking about his next move.

"Hey, Scorp." He said vaguely. "Knight to H5." Alex smirked and crossed his arms, reclining on the couch.

Alex's bishop moved to H5 and cut Dale's rook in half, kicking its remains off the board. Dale groaned.

"I stink at this game!" Dale complained, frowning. "King to D… Umm… D5!" He said, looking pleased.

Dale's king shoved Alex's knight off the board, taking its spot, and shattering it to pieces. Dale grinned. Alex rolled his eyes.

"Queen to D3. Check." Alex smirked again. I laughed.

Lee enviously looked at us. We were having fun, while he got stuck with Charms homework. I had finished mine. Well, so did the rest of us. Lee's grades were sort of suffering right now. Charms and Potions included. I mean, I felt bad for him, but this just proved he didn't have brains like I did. I pretty much _had _to get good grades, otherwise, mum and dad would kill me, I would miss Quidditch practices, games, and probably get thrown off the team, the teachers would be disappointed, and then _Weasley _would definitely have the top spot. I mean, _someone _had to keep her on her toes. I also had others looking up to me, and I couldn't fail them. It would ruin my reputation. I also had to always _look _my best too. So really, I had as much pressure on my shoulders as Lee.

"Curse the idea of homework." Lee mumbled.

He sighed and continued scratching away with his quill.

It _so _reminded me of Weasley. But, how _dare _she penetrate my thoughts! _Relax, Scorpius, _said a voice in my head. _Just relax. You'll be eating soon. All of that chaos that happened in Potions will be free of your mind. _I mentally slapped myself _and _that voice. I was supposed to _forget _that ever happened. Now that stupid voice just reminded me. I sighed.

The clock on the wall chimed seven, and the guys stopped their game. Lee sighed of relief, and dropped his quill, rubbing his eyes. I led the way to the Great Hall, Alex looking smug, and Dale looking rather depressed. We had a grand feast of chicken, corn, and so much more. I ate ravenously, as I grabbed another spoonful of mashed potatoes. Lee looked at me like I was crazy, and gave Alex a sideways glance. Alex shrugged, and turned to his left, and watched Dale stuff his face with corn, with surprisingly, interest. I laughed. I sat on one side of the table, while Lee, Alex, and Dale sat on the other. I looked over to the Ravenclaw table, and saw a girl named Katie giggling with her friends. I forget her last name. I glanced over at Hufflepuff, and took a bite out of a chicken leg. Rachel D… D something, slowly ate her green beans while reading a book. Hey, I don't pay attention to anyone's names who are in any house other than mine. I don't know why I dared look over to the Gryffindor table, but I did.

It was a revolting sight. Weasley, wasn't eating, she was bloody _snogging _her bloody _boyfriend, _Lorcan Scamander. At the dinner table. _Has that girl no manners?! _I could've sworn I threw up in my mouth. Her idiot girl friends and cousins were talking excitedly about something, and Hugo, Albus, and James sat there talking, occasionally giving Weasley an awkward glance. I gagged. It was disgusting. But somehow, I couldn't look away. I couldn't turn my head. Honestly, I don't know what freeze me there. Lee looked at me.

"What're you staring at?" He asked me, turning around to see what was going on behind him.

All three of them turned around and almost instantly turned back. Alex started laughing, Dale looked confused, and Lee had the same expression that I had on my face: disgust. After I got over the fact that she wasn't going to stop snogging her boyfriend, I closed my eyes and shook my head. I was sort of zoning out. I continued to eat. I really tried _not_ to think about what was going on at the Gryffindor table. I mean, everyone snogs their boyfriend/girlfriend in public when they love each other, right? But, is that the problem? I can't stand it when other people are in love? Well, that makes absolutely _no _sense. Maybe it's just because I can't stand _Weasley. _She's always the problem. Gosh, I just can't think about her right now. She's being too… _Disturbing. _I ate the rest of dinner in silence.

* * *

After dinner was over, we all headed back to our Common Rooms. The guys joked around, but I just walked alongside them, in silence. When we got back to the Slytherin Common Room, most of the kids younger than us huddled together at the tables, helping each other with homework. Other kids had already gone to bed, or were playing games. Alex and Dale resumed their Wizard Chess game, and Lee went to bed. I went back up to the dormitory. Lee had already passed out in the bed from doing homework the majority of the night.

I sat on my four-poster bed, and picked up the card again. It was just… A _weird _letter. I couldn't understand it. I _don't _understand it. It didn't make any sense. _"But let me just give you a clue… In case you want to know: I hate you." _It shouldn't bug me, but to be honest, it really did. I wanted to find out who this mystery girl is. Somehow… It just seemed like a _necessity _to figure it out. I don't know why. I put the card on my bed side table again and pulled of my clothes and put on a T-shirt and shorts. I flicked my lamp off and settled in bed. I glance at the clock mum gave me. It reads: 9:47PM. I should pay more attention to who I see in the hall… And if anyone is staring at me. Weirdly. If the girl is fluttering her eyes at me, or doesn't make eye-contact, but is blushing a bright shade of red and says, "Hi, Scorpius…" then I'll know it's her. I punched my pillow and flopped on my other side, staring at Alex and Dale's vacant beds. I know this is going to bug the heck out of me tomorrow. On a random note, I always found it rather cute when girls blush. It just shows that they're shy or awed at my brilliance. I can't blame them. When it comes to me, girls just can't resist staring at me or saying "hi" to me for no apparent reason. I'm _that _good looking. Because of me, guys are always struggling to keep their girlfriends. The girls run off to me, hoping for a chance, I tell them no, not just to break their hearts, but because they're not the girl for me, and then they run back, and the guys grudgingly take them back because they've loved them in the first place and they don't want to give them up. I _know _what goes on. Not just because of my eavesdropping on girls' gossip conversations (even thought that _is _a reason), but just because that's how things roll when I'm around. I mean, really, it is. I close my eyes.

Vividly, an image of Weasley crops up in my head. My eyes snap open. _What the heck?! _I think. _Why is she bloody _everywhere?! I shake my head. Gosh, hasn't she done _enough _to me today?! First she punched me in the bloody face, then she shows up in my Amortentia, at dinner she snogged the life out of her arsey boyfriend, right in front of everyone, without _any _manners, and now she's permanently damaged my psyche. With her appearance. Her rather _ugly _appearance. Her hair is always as wild as a lion's mane; she's got freckles _everywhere_… But yet… Her eyes… Those crystal blue eyes…NO. _No no no no_ no! I think. _BAD Scorpius! How _dare _you think of her that way!_ _That is just _disgusting! I couldn't believe I had just described her eyes that way. _But they do… _One part of my brain said. _And her laugh… It's so sweet. _I mentally slapped that part of my head. Why do I keep _DOING _that?! Weasley could never be appealing to me! I started repeating the same discussion I had with myself during Potions.

She's stupid! She's ruining my life!

_She's not doing _anything _to you, Scorpius. You don't choose to accept her beauty._

She is _NOT _beautiful! She's ugly!

_She's sweet. If you got to know her you'd like her. I bet you._

You're pretty much betting yourself! I _am _you! How would _you _know?! You don't know her! Stupid little voice inside my head!

_But yet I do. You just called yourself stupid. _You're _the one talking to yourself._

I slapped myself again. This time, I really did. I smacked the palm of my hand into my forehead. It hurt, but I didn't care. She _needed _to get out of my head. I bet she doesn't even _know _what she's doing to me. I didn't even know a person could have a mental argument with them self. I really _am _going mental.

I heard Alex and Dale pounding up the stairs, laughing. I flop on my back and put a pillow over my face.

Alex says, "Shh!" not trying to be quiet at all.

Dale snickers.

Alex comes on the side of my bed and repeatedly jabs me in the stomach while Dale laughs.

"Hey," Alex whispers. "Hey Scorp. Hey, hey Scorp. Are you still up? Scorp? Hey are you up?"

I take the pillow off my face and smack Alex with it.

Alex and Dale laugh, while Lee moans, "Guys, shut up or I'll hex you." and then falls back asleep.

They chuckle as they pull their pajamas on, and fall onto their beds.

"Hey Scorp," Alex says again. God is he annoying. "If you wanted to know-" which I didn't. "-I won."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Dale says grumpily. "No need to rub it in."

"Oh contraire, mon ami," Alex says in French, not making any sense at all. (I think he meant "On the contrary my friend") "I _do _feel the need to rub it in."

He laughs, and Dale and I roll our eyes.

They finally shut up, after about ten minutes of gabbing, and all I can hear now is Dale muttering in his sleep and Lee snoring. I think Alex is still up, but he doesn't want to talk. It's now about 10:30. I had spent about thirty-three minutes thinking about Weasley. She owes me. I cannot _believe _I wasted thirty-three precious minutes of my life. And if you're thinking I did my math wrong, don't forget Alex and Dale blabbed about nonsense for ten minutes. 9:47 +3 = 9:50, then 00 is thirteen minutes, 10 is twenty-three minutes, and 20 is thirty-three minutes, and 10:20 is about when Dale and Alex came upstairs. See? I'm not dumb. You probably already know that from my previous recounts on how smart I am. Anyway, after about two or three minutes of doing the math, I finally fell asleep.

* * *

**A.N: Thanks again for reading! :)**

**Sorry if you think the chapters aren't _long _enough. I try to do as best I can. I created this with Microsoft Word, and the chapters are usually 6-8 pages long, with 12 point font. If that makes a difference. Review?**

**-Jayna**


	3. Back to the Present

Chapter Three: Back to the Present

* * *

Ok, so now you know the back story of how this all got started. Now, let's zoom forward to the present. The date is September 1, 2023. I'm still sixteen, but it's the start of Seventh Year. We're at King's Cross Station. My eyes follow the platform numbers: 7…8…9…10… I get to the barrier between 9 and 10. I casually walk into it, whistling as I go. My parents follow close behind, clutching each other's hands. I go straight through, and the screeching of the scarlet red Hogwarts Express engine greets me. My parents come through next, and smile at me. My owl, Harold, hooted happily in his cage at the sight of the familiar train. Harold was a black owl with sharp fangs, and speckled white. We scan the side of the train, looking for a clear door for me to go through. I'm so excited to get away from home. As much as that sounds rude, I really can't. Summer was torture city for me. I had absolute no access to any of my friends, because Alex had gone to China for some "family vacation" (to be honest, he said he didn't want to go), Dale had family staying over for most of the summer, and Lee doesn't answer his bloody phone. Mum and dad had decided to do some "summer cleaning" and I had to pitch in and help. I admit it felt good to throw away some of the kiddy stuff I had, but most of the work was lame stuff like pulling weeds in the garden in our backyard. Anyway, we found a door, and I stopped. My mum and dad hugged me and bade me goodbye. Before I hauled my trunk onto the train, my mum gave me a kiss on the cheek and another hug.

She whispered into my ear, "Don't get into any trouble this year, Scorpius."

I rolled my eyes.

"_Ok, _mum." I said. "Don't worry about me."

"Alright. Are you coming home for the holidays?"

"I might. Depends what goes on."

"Send me an owl as soon as you can."

"Yeah, I will. Bye mum."

"Bye sweetheart."

I waved goodbye to my parents, and I boarded the train with Harold and my jam-packed trunk. Inside was the anonymous birthday card I had received on my sixteenth birthday. I was still figuring out the mystery. I found a compartment with my friends already seated inside. Lee helped me put my trunk on the shelf. I set Harold's cage in the corner and leaned out the window. My mum waved to me, smiling, and my dad awkwardly waved too. I waved back. The engine roared to life, and the Hogwarts Express started chugging away. My mum kept up with the train until it completely left the station and rounded a corner. I pulled my head back into the compartment, and found Dale reading a book, and Alex and Lee chatting. I sat down next to Lee.

"So how was your summer, Scorp?" Alex asked me.

"Hell." I replied. "Yours?"

Alex shrugged. "China was a garbage dump." He rolled his eyes. "It was smelly and weird. The wizards there are all creepy." He shuddered at the thought of it.

"What about you, Lee?"

"Eh," He said.

His looked at me with a bored expression. Suddenly, his eyes looked as if they almost popped right out of their sockets.

"Bloody hell, Scorpius!" Lee exclaimed. "You're Head Boy?!"

I looked down at the shining badge pinned to my robes I had already changed into.

"Yeah." I said nonchalantly, looking up.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Dale said, looking up from his book, also glancing at the badge.

I rolled my eyes. "'Cause none of you answer your owls...or phones."

There was an awkward silence.

I waved it off. "Whatever. How was the family, Dale?"

Dale shrugged. "Alright." He said. "Aunt Grace almost broke her back from tripping down the stairs. My baby cousin almost drowned in the pool. My mum lit the kitchen on fire."

We looked at him in bewilderment.

"Stove. She vows to 'never use a Muggle Appliance again.' But all in all, it was _splendid_." He finished, saying the last sentence with sarcasm.

We all laughed. I heard Weasley's voice through the open compartment door.

"… he's such an arse!" I heard her say.

All of her friends giggled.

I put a finger to my lips, and the other guys became silent.

"Don't you guys think Alex got _hot _over the summer?" One of them said excitedly.

Alex puffed out his chest jokingly and Dale sniggered.

"Nah, he's still one of Scorpius' _cronies._" Weasley said.

Alex swore under his breath, sitting normal again. I rolled my eyes at Weasley's remark. But why would Weasley's judgment matter to him?

"I still don't understand what you guys see in _any _of them." Weasley's friend, Rachel said. "Not including you, Rose. There's that whole, Slytherin-versus-Gryffindor and I-hate-the-Malfoys-period thing."

My expression darkened at _"I-hate-the-Malfoys." _Ugh. Some people just _don't _respect the Pureblood line I come from. I could totally see Rachel sitting there with a book in her lap, peering over her glasses to look at them.

"They just seem like those _jocks _you see in Muggle 'High School drama' TV shows." Lily said, giggling. "I don't know, I guess it's just 'cause they're on the Quidditch team and have _'muscle' _or whatever."

They started giggling again. I noticed Weasley's laugh wasn't among them.

"I'm going to get some fresh air." Weasley said, her voice slightly strained.

"Don't go snogging Scorpius, Rose." Katie said.

I snorted quietly. What a stupid thing to say. We heard a _SLAP _and a groan of pain.

Katie said, "Gosh Rosie, not so hard!"

I quickly got up and slid the compartment door closed before Weasley came out of the compartment, noticing we were eavesdropping on their conversation. I sat back down in the nick of time. I saw Weasley's figure walk down the hall, and out of sight.

"So," Alex said, after a moment of silence. "What'd you think of _that _conversation?"

I shrugged.

"_Don't go snogging Scorpius, Rose." _Lee mocked, trying to sound like Katie. He failed, of course. He sounded more annoyed. "That was so dumb."

I leaned my head against the window and watched the long, grassy plain zoom across my peripheral vision.

"Scorp?" Dale asked me.

"Huh?" I replied.

"I mean, you probably already figured this out… But you know Weasley's probably going to be Head Girl, right?"

My shoulders drooped and I clashed my head against the window, bearing the pain. _Of course Weasley will be Head Girl, _I thought. _Why couldn't I think of that? I'm going to drop it. But mum and dad were so proud of me…_

Alex's voice interrupted my thoughts.

Alex said, "Scorp you ok?"

"Yeah." I grunted.

"Ha ha, she's going to be a handful." Lee snorted.

I didn't contribute to the conversations they had. I glanced at the watch my father gave me for my sixteenth birthday. It read 6:30PM. We had about an hour and a half left.

I eventually dozed off, and was shaken awake by Lee.

"Hey Scorp," He said.

"Whazzgoinon?" I muttered, blinking my eyes open.

"We're half-way there. Well actually like three fifths of the way."

I sighed and closed my eyes again.

"Lee, why did you wake me up to tell me that? We've still got like fifty minutes left."

"Yeah I know. I'm just trying to be annoying."

I groaned and attempted to slap him lazily. He dodged it easily. I sat up and rubbed my eyes.

"Any other useless information you want to give me?" I spat.

"No." He said, going over to the compartment door. "Well, yes. You were supposed to do Head Duties about an hour ago but I let you sleep." He walked out casually.

I banged my head against the window again. _Shoot. _I thought. _Weasley's going to kick my butt._ This time, it really hurt. I sighed again and got up. Alex was sleeping and Dale's seat was vacant. Well actually Alex was sleeping across the seat. Where could he have gone? He, as in Dale. I looked at my watch: 7:03PM. I slept for about thirty-three minutes. Thanks a lot, Lee. I left the compartment and peeked over the side of the next compartment to see who was in there. Yup, it was Weasley's friends, still talking and laughing together. Weasley wasn't there. She must be doing Head Duties. I opened their compartment door and they all stopped talking to stare at me.

"Where's Weasley?" I asked them.

"You mean Rose?" Rachel asked, looking up from her book.

"Yeah." I replied, not daring to use her first name.

"She went to the Prefects' compartment to hand out schedules and give patrolling dates about twenty-five minutes ago." Rachel said.

So Weasley had gone to do Head Duties shortly after I had fallen asleep. Lee was so bad with time. He totally messed that up. _Idiot._

"Why?"

"I-um," I stuttered. "Well, um, I'm Head Boy."

A couple of them gasped and their eyes searched me until they found the badge pinned on my robes. I tried hard not to roll my eyes. Who didn't see that coming? I mean, I _do _admit I insult people, but that's what I do. I still have top grades.

"Oh," She said, and went back to her book. "I don't suppose you need to know where that is?"

I grimaced. "No." I said harshly.

I left quickly, and I saw the girls give each other angry looks. I hurried down the narrow corridor, going through train cars to get to the Prefects' compartment. I slid the door open.

Two fifth year students were seated at tables according to their house. Weasley stood towards the back of the compartment, in front of a desk, examining a piece of parchment. She heard the door open, and looked up.

"Oh," she said irritably. "Nice of you to join us, Malfoy." She didn't look surprised that I was Head Boy. Nor was I that surprised that she was Head Girl.

Everyone turned to stare at me. I felt my ears start to burn.

I looked around the room at their faces and said, "Uh, hi everyone. I'm Scorpius Malfoy, and I'm Head Boy." _That was lame, _a part of my brain told me. _Don't you think they know that?! _I slid the door shut behind me and walked to the back of the compartment to join Weasley.

"You're _late._" She whispered. Of course she had to state the obvious. "What were you doing?"

My cheeks burned too, now.

"Um…" I wracked my brain for something to make up.

"Never mind that, I'm nearly done. _Don't _interrupt me." She shot me one last glare, and then softened up as she turned back to the Prefects.

"As I was saying, before we were _rudely _interrupted," she continued. I used all of my will power not to sock her in the stomach. "Each of you will patrol the corridors every week day, with the other Prefect-or Prefects- in your house. Mr. Malfoy and I will are also going to patrol in addition to you, and do weekends. Mr. Malfoy and I are going to write schedules for you, and we'll probably have them to you in a couple of days."

_A whole week of patrolling with Weasley?! _What, is this woman mad?!

"You are to check every classroom. If you find one of the doors locked, use _Alohomora, _and if there's nothing suspicious going on, relock it. If something's wrong, or your patrolling partner is injured or something else happened, go to the nearest teacher or come see Mr. Malfoy or I."

Why does she keep calling me "Mr. Malfoy?"

"You could also send us a Patronus message, but I doubt you guys have learned them yet. If you've checked all of the corridors near your Common Room, and yes, upstairs too, you can go to bed. It shouldn't take you more than an hour." She added, at the sight of one of the Ravenclaw Prefect's face.

"Any questions?"

Instantly, a hand shot up.

"What if you forget to patrol?" One of the Gryffindors said.

"Your patrolling partner will have to do the patrolling on their own."

"Oh ok…"

"Is that it?" Weasley said, sounding slightly relieved.

No one else raised their hand.

"Ok. If you _do _find out you have a question, see me or Mr. Malfoy."

There she goes again.

"You guys can go back to your separate compartments now." Weasley said.

They all got up and left quickly. I tried to follow them.

"Malfoy," Weasley said sharply.

My shoulders drooped as I turned around to face her.

"Weasley?" I said, trying to sound calm.

"Now do you want to tell me why you were late?" She said, crossing her arms.

"Now do you want to tell me why you were late?" She said, crossing her arms.

"No." I said stubbornly.

She rolled her eyes.

"Let me just tell you something."

She moved from her place in front of the desk and now stood in front of me. She looked irritated, but she's about a few inches shorter than me, so I wasn't really scared. Not that I _am _scared of Weasley.

"I expect you to cooperate with me when doing Head Duties."

I opened my mouth to talk, but she cut across me.

"I will absolutely _not _tolerate you to boss me around anymore. I want you to respect me. I want to do this job right, and not have nervous breakdowns because of you not helping me get work done, in addition to me studying for the upcoming N.E.W.T.s. If we need to meet somewhere, it'll either be the Three Broomsticks or the Library. Got that?"

I was bewildered. She was actually standing _up _to me? Well that's different.

"I-Yeah," I replied, trying not to sound confused. "If you promise me one thing."

"And what is that, may I ask?" She said, still using the same confident tone.

"Don't give me reasons to insult you then." I said, turning around and swiftly leaving.

Weasley didn't say a word as she followed me back to our compartments. (They _are _next to each other)

* * *

**A.N: Sorry if this chapter seems a bit short... The first two were like 3,000 words, this one is 2,600. If that makes a difference to you guys. I'd really appreciate reviews! I need some feedback! I've already gotten more than 300 views for my story, but I'm not sure if that many people are _really _going to read it. I'm sorry if I made you guys wait a while for this chapter. I've got this whole system, and I really don't want to explain it... But anyway, I _do _appreciate my views too. Oh! And by the way, someone was so nice as to point out some technical difficulties including Scorpius' birthday, so as odd as this sounds, I changed it. _So, _if it really sort of messed you up too, you can go and re-read the previous chapters again. I mean, just some of the dates have changed, so it might not be a big deal. But then again, it might have some affect on some parts of the story, so if you want to go see what changed feel free to do so. Thanks for bothering to read this. :)**

**-Jayna**


	4. Home Again

Chapter Four: Home Again

* * *

I went back to my compartment, all of the guys seated once again. They were all talking to each other as I stepped back in, closing the door and sitting back down in my seat. Weasley angry figure stormed past the door and into the one next to ours. Her irritated voice could be heard, even though our door was shut.

"MALFOY IS SUCH AN ARSE!" She shouted.

We all laughed.

"What did you do to her?"Alex asked me, after calming down.

"Well," I started. "Lee let me sleep, so I was like twenty minutes late for Head Duties. We were giving out schedules and whatnot. I'm surprised that I made her that mad on the first day. She'll definitely have a lot to put up with."

"Lee, why'd you let him sleep on the job?" Alex said jokingly.

We all laughed again.

* * *

We arrived at Hogwarts at about 8:00, and we all boarded the horseless carriages into the giant castle. We got several new students during the Sorting, and had a grand feast. The staffing was pretty much the same as last year: McGonagall being Headmistress and Transfiguration teacher, Professor Green being Herbology teacher, Professor Swandil; Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and Professor Grayton, thankfully still being the Potions teacher. Oh, and Professor Randset the Charms teacher. Professor McGonagall has probably been the teacher who has taught at Hogwarts for the longest time.

When my father heard that she had become Headmistress, he said, "That old bat is still teaching?!" My mum was always fond of Transfiguration, so she of course disapproved of my father's statement. Transfiguration isn't that bad, I guess. Apparently, Professor McGonagall was a teacher when my mum and dad were at Hogwarts.

I know this really isn't the time, but I just wanted to tell you this while I'm on the subject of the past. You remember Pansy Parkinson, right? My dad's old girlfriend from when he was at Hogwarts? Yeah, he obviously married my mum, and she got kind of mad. So after Pansy married Blaise Zabini, she had a girl. Like, a baby girl. Her name's Tracy. Tracy Zabini. I usually call her Tracy Parkinson, I don't know why though. She's the same age as me. So anyway, something was going on in that sick, twisted mind of hers (Pansy's), so when Tracy was sent to Hogwarts, she gave her this one quest: Make me fall in love with her. I'm guessing that she wanted to be related with my father in some way, but I don't really know. So, for most of the first year, she tried to get to know me first before she started anything. In second year, she and I became friends. Third year… She tried to kiss me. That totally changed my perspective of the Zabini family, and that's when I created my theory of the whole "being related to my father" thing. Our friendship broke. I had already passed the whole puberty thing, and in fourth year, she was starting to regret trying things so fast and breaking my trust. I had started turning into the handsome guy I am now. She tried desperately to become my friend again, and not just to achieve her mother's goal. But just because I had started looking more… _Un-dweebish. _I know that's not a word. But that's the only word to describe how I changed. Anyway, she started to change too. Her hair grew longer; she got taller… and other things. She looks a _lot _like Pansy. Which isn't technically pretty. But of course, she did not succeed in making me fall in love with her. I had discovered their plan, which of course is only a theory. But she grew a lot snottier, and obtained her own _gang. _Basically a bunch of rude girls who comment on other girls' makeup, hair, fashion, you know, the whole… I don't know-girly thing? Yeah, let's just leave it at that. She insults everyone, which is the only thing her and I have in common. Well, she changed her personality, _a lot, _and that's one of the reasons why I don't want to be friends with her anymore. Her appearance is another too. She's not really attractive, if you know what I'm saying. Anyway, presently, she still tries to make me her friend, make me fall in love with her, or flirt with me. Gosh you're probably bored out of your mind right now. Let's switch gears and go back to the feast.

I smell chocolate. I stare down at the table. Desserts of all kinds are lined up in the middle of the long Slytherin table. Dale, Alex, and Lee are sitting across from me. Oddly enough, Tracy is sitting not that far away from me, and I can smell her disgusting peach perfume. I lean the opposite way to get fresh air. _Who would make a peach perfume anyway?_ I grab a small mint and pop it into my mouth. The taste makes my whole mouth water as I chew it.

Professor McGonagall stands up and raises her voice over the ruckus we're all making.

She says, "Well, that was a wonderful feast. I would just like to make a few announcements. Prefects, and the Head Boy and Girl, you will be start patrolling tomorrow night. Also, the Prefects, Head Boy, and Girl, and Quidditch Captains have access to their own bathroom. If you would please, come forward after the feast to receive the password."

At this time, all of the food disappears, and only sparkling clean dishes remain.

"Only one of the Prefects from each house should come up, the others should lead the first years to the dormitories. The Head Boy and Girl also have their own dormitory, and that will be where you stay this year. To everyone else, it is time that we go back to our dormitories for bed. Goodnight! I shall see you all tomorrow!"

Everyone gets up, one Prefect from each house going up to Professor McGonagall, the others guiding the first years. I see Weasley from across the room get up too. I say goodbye to my friends, and go to Professor McGonagall as well. When we all have gathered around her, most of the other students have left the Great Hall.

"Ok, the password for the bathroom is 'Raindrop.'" She says.

The Prefects look at her as if saying, "That's it?"

"You can go to your dormitories now."

We all turn around to leave but she calls me and Weasley back.

"Miss Weasley, Mr. Malfoy?"

We turn around.

"Yes, Professor?" Weasley says politely.

"You two are getting along well, right?" Professor McGonagall says seriously.

I could've sworn I saw a flicker of annoyance appear on her face, but she remained calm. I guess Professor McGonagall noticed the rivalry between us. I mean, _who couldn't?_

"Yes, Professor." She says. "Mr. Malfoy and I have made an agreement to work well together this year."

_There she goes again!_

"Good. The Head's dormitory is down the right hallway, fourth door on the left. The password is 'Mandrake.'"

We both nod and leave briskly. We follow the directions and see a picture of a man and a woman eating dinner.

"Mandrake." Weasley says quickly, and the lady takes a swig of pumpkin juice before swinging open. There's a door behind the picture. I open the door and let Weasley in first, just because I'm using manners. We both step inside, and I close the door behind us.

The room is large and circular, and on the wall where the door is a fireplace sits, imbedded into the wall. There is a large rug on the floor, and a red velvet couch and a wooden coffee table are on it. There is another table and a chair with a green cushion on it across from the couch. There are two separate staircases are going up into two rooms. On the left side, a large Gryffindor tapestry is hung on the wall, and on the other side is a Slytherin tapestry. So obviously the left staircase leads up to Weasley's dormitory, and the right staircase leads up to my dormitory. She and I stare at the room in awe. I hear Harold hooting upstairs.

"Well, um," I say stupidly. "Goodnight."

"Yeah…" She says slowly. "Goodnight."

She watches me go up the stairs and into my dormitory. I open the door and go inside.

My dormitory is definitely larger than my normal one. One wall is curved, while the other ones are straight. A bed sits on the wall straight ahead of me, and the door to the bathroom is on the left wall. A nightstand is next to my bed, and on that is a lamp. The bedspread is plain green, with my initials emblazoned in silver on it. A window is on the curved wall. On the wall where the door is to the right sits a dresser, and a door leading into the closet. On the same wall to the left is a bulletin board, with my schedule already tacked onto it. I get Harold's cage and go over to the window. I open his cage and the window. He hops out and onto the cage. I pat his head, and he flies out the window. I am so exhausted, but I decide to unpack. I hang up my shirts, and I tucked my pants and other things into the dresser. I put my toiletries into the bathroom. I set my alarm clock on the night stand next to my bed. After I'm done, I undress and put on an old shirt and a pair of boxers. I peel off the covers and slip into bed. It feels stiff and unused. The house elves probably changed the sheets instantly after last year was over. I flop over on my stomach and punch the pillow, trying to make it softer. It feels good to finally be back at Hogwarts, but I miss the company of my friends, and Alex's snoring. It seems unnaturally quiet without them. After a long while of tossing and turning, I finally fall asleep.

* * *

I wake up to the sun pouring through my open bedroom windows, and my alarm clock beeping repeatedly. I slam my hand on the clock and the beeping stops. I groan as I sit up in my bed. I must have done a ruddy job putting my stuff away last night, because clothes are still strewn across my floor. I side-step through the piles, and get out fresh clothes and robes. I go to the bathroom and take a shower and brush my teeth, the normal morning routine. As I fix my Slytherin tie, I unpin my schedule from the bulletin board and check it. I look under the Monday column; it says that I have Care of Magical Creatures with the Ravenclaws after breakfast. Hagrid teaches Care of Magical Creatures. The old bloke isn't that bad. I mean, I'm not friends with him or anything, but he's a nice guy. I pin my Head Boy Badge to my robes and set off for the Great Hall. I walk down the stairs, and Weasley is sitting on the couch, her nose in a book. She hears my footsteps, and she looks up.

"Oh, Malfoy," she says, closing her book and tucking it into her bag. "I just wanted to remind you that-"

"We have head duties tonight," I finished. "Yeah, I remember. I'm not _stupid,_ Weasley."

She looked slightly hurt.

"No, I was _going_ to say, you have to put together your Quidditch team. I'm hosting Gryffindor tryouts in a couple of weeks. So try to find a day where everyone has free time or something."

Oh yeah. I forgot about that.

"Oh, um, thanks." I muttered.

"Yeah, you're welcome." She said. "See you later tonight." She went over to the door, opened it, and left, her red curls bouncing after her.

I stood there for a moment. She was actually _reminding _me? Helping me? I guess she was really sticking to her word. I unglued my eyes from the floor and focused on getting myself to the Great Hall. I sat down next to Dale at the Slytherin table, my friends all greeting me with, "Morning, Scorpius."

"So how was Weasley last night?" Alex asked.

I looked at him confused.

I said, "Why do you ask?" while munching on toast. "All we did was check out our new dormitory and go to bed."

"Yeah, well," Lee said sipping orange juice. "We were just thinking you might break out in an argument and one of you'd end up dead, 'cause you were alone."

Something disconcerted me when he said the word "alone," for some reason. They must've had a private discussion about something. I sighed, thinking that I was completely alone in my dormitory, with only _Weasley _for company. I continued to shovel eggs into my mouth while I waited for the owl post.

A sudden flapping noise filled the air, as owls all sizes and colors came into the Great Hall. I saw the unmistakable black feathers of Harold, and he dropped a letter on the table in front of me, landing on my shoulder. I gave him some of my toast, and he flew out the window again. I looked at the envelope. _"From, Mum," _It said on the envelope. I tore it open, and read.

_"Dear Scorpius," _it said. _"I hope the school year is going well so far. It's only been your first day back, and I miss you already. Try not to get in trouble so soon (even though I know you won't__)."_ There was a little smiley face after that. _"Your father and I are very proud of you for becoming Head Boy _and _Quidditch Captain this year, as you very well know. I hope your friends are doing well. None of them seemed to answer us over the summer… Do keep in touch, Mum."_

A little heart placed itself after "Mum," the ink animated to make smaller hearts come out of it, slightly pulsing. Even though most of the letters I get from home are brief, I cherish them. My parents seem to be more encouraging and happy through letters. I fold the letter up neatly, and put it into my pocket. Though nobody knows about it, I have a giant shoebox filled with my parents' letters. Like I said, they just seem happier. When I miss them, I read their letters. It makes me feel better.* We finish breakfast, and Alex, Dale, Lee, and I head out to the grounds for Care of Magical Creatures. We all seek different jobs, so not all of them are in my classes. At the same time anyway. At least one or two of them are in each of my classes. I guess it's not that bad. Care of Magical Creatures just so happens to be a class we're all in. I'm pretty sure I want to be an Auror. See, that might sound weird, coming from the son of a Dark Wizard family line, but my father changed his ways. He totally regretted being part of the Death Eaters or whatever they're called. He convinced me to be someone of a pretty good nature. Job-wise. I mean, you can tell that I'm really not a _nice _person, but you get the point.

Barely any of the trees have started changing colors, and the few leaves on the ground crunch below our feet. We approach Hagrid, and he has a giant barrel sitting next to him, slightly shaking, strapped to the ground. He's moving things around in a giant wooden box, and we hear small tapping noises coming from the barrel. No one else is around, so I guess we're early.

"Hey, Hagrid." I say.

Hagrid jumps a bit, and then turns around.

"Oh! Scorpius!" He says, laughing.

He claps me on the back, making my knees buckle.

"How're yeh doin'?"

"Good," I reply, resisting the urge to rub my back. "How're _you_ doing?"

"Ah, I'm all righ'. I think yeh'll enjoy this lesson. It'll be real fun." He turns around and continues to tend to whatever is in the giant box.

I turn around, and I see the rest of the class (Slytherins and Ravenclaws), including Weasley's friend Katie. She sees me, and glares at me, then whispers something to her friends.

Hagrid turns around and says happily, "Good mornin' class!"

"Good morning, Professor Hagrid." We all say in unison.

Hagrid smiles broadly.

"Today we'll be tending to baby acromantulas."

This conjured many whispers.

"Don't worry, they aren' full grown, they won' hurt yeh. You'll just be feedin' 'em and such. I got a little 'pen' for 'em to be in, so they won' be scurrying up yer leg or anythin'."

He laughed heartily and some people exchanged nervous glances with the nearest people. He unstrapped the lid from the barrel and brought it over to a little fenced-in area, made from wood sloppily nailed together. The fence was some three feet high. Luckily, acromantulas don't jump. He threw off the lid, and poured the acromantulas out into the pen. We all crowded around it. A few dozen acromantulas were all scuttling around the pen, searching for a way out. A couple people stared in awe, while others looked at them like they were about to lose their breakfast. Acromantulas aren't my favorite kind of creature, but their venom is highly valuable, money wise. Not like my family _needs _money, unlike Weasley's.

"Now yeh'll be feeding 'em what you _think _they eat. I'm givin' yeh choices. Some of the food can cause 'em to die or throw up, so if yeh know yer stuff, you can keep it alive by the end of class. This is goin' to be a quiz, to see how well yeh all know 'bout acromantulas."

Some people looked scared, others looked dumbfounded. My friends and I were neither.

He brought the large box over, and now that we got a bit closer, we could see what was inside. Different kinds of dead animals and bugs were arranged into different piles, according to what they were inside the box. I saw snails, slugs, bugs, and a bunch of other gross and unidentifiable things in there.

"Yeh can partner up if you want. No more than four in a group. One acromantula per group or partner."

My friends and I instantly looked at each other and nodded.

"When yeh got yer group, come up and see me."

My friends and I walked up to Hagrid. I'm not the best in Care of Magical Creatures, so I hope we'll be able to "keep it alive."

"Ah, Scorpius, you an' yer friends all together. All righ', c'mere an' I'll give you some gloves."

We followed him quickly, him being so large his strides were longer. He went back into his hut, and we waited outside patiently.

"Scorp, do you know anything about a-crow-man-chew-laws?" Alex whispered nervously.

"A bit," I replied. "I'm not an acromantula enthusiast, but I at least know what it eats. I'm glad that's all we need to know to pass the quiz."

We waited a couple more minutes, and other people started forming their groups, looking for Hagrid. Hagrid came out of his hut, and he was carrying many pairs of gloves, all that were like, four times smaller than his hands. He gave me and my friends some, and we hurried back to the pen before we got stampeded by other people who needed gloves. I picked an acromantula, and I marked it with a green blob of paint with my wand. I figured we should know which one was ours, in a giant sea of black, hairy legs. I took a slug and threw it to a different acromantula. The guys looked at me like I was crazy.

"I'm not sure if it eats slugs, so I don't want to kill ours if it doesn't." I said.

They nodded in agreement. We threw one of each kind of bug and animal in the box to a different acromantula, to see if it would kill them. Sure enough, the one who we fed the slug started twitching, and the one who we fed snails, flopped on its back and was motionless. I never knew that food could kill an acromantula so quickly, but I guess its digestive system doesn't take it or whatever. The one we fed the bugs and meats were still alive. We had come to our conclusion just in time. The other groups were coming over to the acromantulas. Luckily, most people had three or four in a group, so there were enough acromantulas for everyone, even though two were dead. They didn't even acknowledge the dead ones, they focused on their own. So, we stuck to feeding our acromantula with the green blob on it bugs and meats. My friends and I started sniggering when two of the groups picked up snails and slugs.**

* * *

**A.N: Review? Sorry if it feels like I haven't posted in a while. I have 600 views! Exactly! Thanks so much for the support!**

**I apologize, again, if it feels like I'm desperate. It's just that I really want feedback, and my friend musiclover545446 persuaded me into posting this on a Fan Fiction website, because she thought it was really good. So anyway, I'm posting this to see if you guys agree with her judgement. I guess also for my own entertainment or whatever. O.o**

*** Scorpius seems like a real softie here, doesn't he? :P**

**** I am absolutely blank on acromantulas, and I couldn't find a good resource on what they ate. But I knew that they ate meat, (just from like reading the books) so I just had to make a couple things up. Snails and slugs were the only things that came to mind. :/**

**-Jayna**


	5. Girls

Chapter Five: Girls

* * *

When class was over, Alex, Lee, Dale, and I were one of the few groups who kept it alive. We waved goodbye to Hagrid, who gave us a bone-crushing "welcome home" hug, and walked back into the castle to get our stuff for our next lesson. We walk into the dormitory, Lee and I grab our Charms things; Dale, Transfiguration; and Alex, History of Magic. We part separate ways, and Lee and I walk to Charms.

"What did you guys talk about last night?" I asked him, turning left onto a different corridor.

"What do you mean?" Lee raised his eyebrow.

"Well, it just seemed weird the way you said, 'cause you were alone.'"

"Ah, well, the guys have this hunch- oh, we're here." Lee pushed the door open and walked in, I followed.

We sat at the same table together, and I examined the class. I noticed that we had class with the Gryffindors (like most of my classes) and I saw Weasley sitting next to Albus a couple tables away from us. I took my attention away from the people in my class, and started thinking about what Lee had said. _So, _my friends have a hunch about me and Weasley. It could be good, it could be bad. I'm thinking of the only _bad _one that comes to mind. The guys think that I have a crush on Weasley, or something else. I'd like to go with something else. Professor Randset walks in from his office.

"Good morning, class!" He says cheerfully.

"Good morning Professor Randset." Everyone says in absolute monotone.

"How's your first day been so far?" He asked curiously. "Off to a good start?

There's a few mutters around the room, but someone says," Yes!"

"Good enough for me! Ok, so today we're going to start off with reviewing the Aguamenti Charm. I presume you all remember the effects of using this spell-"

Weasley's hand shot up, along with a few others. I guess some people want to suck up for the first day.

"Yes, Ms. Weasley?" He asked chuckling.

"The Aguamenti Charm conjures a jet of pure water from the caster's wand, and depending on the caster's concentration, it can become as large as a wave." She said quickly, choosing her words carefully.

"Splendid! Almost word for word! Twenty points to Gryffindor!"

A couple students looked at her, shocked. I guess some of them still hadn't known about Weasley's _minor _intelligence.

"You will work with whoever you are currently sitting by, and while one conjures a _small _fire, using _Incendio _on a feather, another will attempt to put it out. Please do not cause me any trouble by leaving loose papers or precious belongings by your workspace. I also want you to _summon _the feather off my desk. I will be examining your work while you do it. You may start."

"_Accio feather!" _I hear Weasley shout.

A feather zoomed across the room and into Weasley's hand.

Other students looked at Weasley in awe, and tried to copy her.

"_Ah-kee-o feather?"_

"_Ah ki o feather!"_

Doofuses.

"_Accio feather!" _I say rather lazily.

A feather zooms toward me and Lee, landing on the desk. Him and I remove our stuff from the table, and put it on the floor.

"Ready?" I ask Lee.

"Yeah," He replied. "But I'm afraid I might mess up the fire. So I'll do the Aguamenti thing. 'Kay?"

"Yup." I pointed my wand at the feather. _"Incendio!"_

The feather instantly caught on fire, and I looked up to see Professor Randset standing right there. I nodded toward Lee, and he licked his lips and pointed his wand at the feather.

"_Aguamenti!" _Lee said.

A jet of water came out of his wand and extinguished the feather, soaking it.

Professor Randset smiled, and said," Well done, boys. Twenty-five points for Slytherin."

Lee and I grinned.

"Now, I want you to try to nonverbally do the assignment." He walked away.

I looked at Lee.

"Can you do nonverbal spells?" I asked him.

Lee scrunched up his face. "I think." He said.

"Why don't you light it on fire this time?" That sounded funny.

"Sure."

He pointed his wand at the feather. After a couple of seconds, a jet of red light came out of his wand, and the feather ignited again. I pointed my wand at the feather, and thought _Aguamenti! _Water came out of my wand and extinguished the feather once more. We slapped high-fives and looked at everyone else's progress. Some people couldn't light it, some couldn't extinguish it, and some were done, Weasley and Rachel included in this group. Professor Randset came back over and took the feather away telling us we'd gotten full points. We sat back down and put our stuff on the table.

"So what were you saying?" I said as I neatly stacked my things in the corner of the table.

"Oh," Lee said nervously. "Well, um, I don't think so, but the other guys-um… Well…"

I groaned and said, "Lee, just tell me!"

"The guys think you like Weasley!" He said quickly.

I slapped a hand over his mouth and looked around to make sure nobody heard him. Albus and Weasley were only a few tables away, but neither of them seemed to be fazed. Of course it was the _bad _thing I thought of. I took my hand off his mouth.

"Not so loud!" I hissed.

"Sorry," He whispered.

"Well they're wrong." I said in an annoyed tone. "Because I don't."

Lee relaxed a bit. "Good. Because Alex, you know… Please don't tell him I told you this, _or _their hunch about you and Weasley!"

"Yeah, I promise." I said. "Come _on!_ Why're you so stubborn?!"

"Alright! Well, Alex likes Weasley."

Okay… I was _not _expecting that. I mean, I noticed something was up sometimes when we were making fun of Weasley, but he seemed to keep his secret pretty well concealed. The other guys thought that I liked her. Well I don't, that's for sure. He can go and make out with Weasley for all I care. He'll be _completely _shunned out of my vicinity though.

I ran this piece of information through my head. It seemed strange, but logical all at the same time. Lee looked at me in concern.

"You _promise _you won't tell them?" Lee said.

I shook my head and blinked a few times to refocus my eyes.

"Yeah," I said. "I _promise._"

"Good."

The lesson continued, and Professor Randset was nice enough to not give us homework on the first day. As soon as the bell rang, we all got up. Weasley and her friend passed our table and- guess what? She _didn't _grimace at me. No frown, no glare, no _nothing. _She _really _must be trying to stick to our agreement. She just looked at me. And tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Then looked away and continued her conversation with Rachel. _Weird. _Apparently Albus thought so too, because he looked at us in bewilderment when we didn't start an argument or anything. Lee and I got up and went back to the Common Room to switch out our belongings. We walked in and saw Dale sitting on the couch with some girl. He heard our footsteps and looked over his shoulder and behind. The couch they were sitting on made them have their backs to us.

"Oh," He said. "Hey guys."

"Yeah," Lee said, going upstairs.

"Hey, Dale," I replied nonchalantly, watching Lee attempt to climb the stairs five at a time.

"Hi," The girl said. I looked over to her.

She had dirty blonde hair pulled up into a tight ponytail on her head. She wore thickly framed black glasses, and had brown eyes and slightly tanned skin. She smiled, and I saw two rows of perfectly lined teeth. She took the book off her lap and put on the table and walked over to me. She put out her hand.

"I'm Charlotte Finnigan." She said. She didn't sound timid, or too loud.

I shook her hand. I saw the Slytherin crest on her robes. Strange. I thought her dad was a Gryffindor. _That _news probably didn't go by well.

"Nice to meet you, Charlotte." I said. "I'm Scorpius."

"Scorpius Malfoy," She said examining my facial features. She saw the Head Boy badge on my robes and then let go of my hand and sat back down next to Dale.

"Charlotte and I are just studying." Dale said quickly.

"_What?!_" I said. "You guys already have a test?"

They exchanged glances.

"Uh, yeah," Dale said.

"For who?"

"Professor Binns," Charlotte said, her eyes flicking back to Dale, then back to me. "The old brute. He's making us 'review.'"

"Ah, that's too bad." I said, running a hand through my hair. "I didn't know you needed to take History of Magic, Dale. I thought you wanted to become a manager of the Department of Magical Games and Sports in the Ministry."

"Y-Yeah, I do. I need to know the history on the games or whatever." Dale said.

"Really? Last year we learned about like famous people. I didn't know he taught that stuff."

"Oh, well, uh yeah. He does."

Lee came back down the stairs with his stuff and an extra book.

"Catch," He called to me, as he came down the stairs and threw a book at me.

I caught it, and turned it over and looked at the cover: _Hogwarts A History._

"Lee, you dingbat!" I said, walking over to him and thumping him on the back with the book. "I have Transfiguration next!"

"Oh," Lee said, shrugging.

I ran up the stairs to get the _correct _book, when I remembered that my stuff was in the Heads' dormitory. I went back _down _the stairs and threw the book at Lee.

"Ouch!" He yelped. "What was that for?!"

"Whose book was that?" I asked him, as he picked up the book. "'Cause my stuff is in the Heads' dormitory."

"Oh yeah." He said, rubbing the back of his head, examining the book. "I don't know. Just Alex's I guess. Probably hasn't opened it all."

"Hey," I said, turning to Charlotte and Dale. They looked worried. I disregarded that. "Where is Alex, anyway?"

"Uh, I dunno." Dale said, scratching his head.

"Whatever." I said, heading for the door. "Anyway, I'll see you guys later. I have to go to the Heads' dormitory to _retrieve_ the _correct _belongings I need."

Charlotte giggled.

"See ya 'round, Scorpius." She said, smiling, looking over her shoulder to watch me leave.

"Yup," I said, winked, and smiled back. I turned around, pushed the door open, and left.

I walked through the chilly hallway, and turned down the corridors to the Heads' dormitory. The painting of the man and woman eating dinner came into view as I turned a corner. I went up to them, and I heard the woman laugh at the man's joke.

"P-Password?" She managed to say through a fit of giggles.

"Mandrake." I said.

The portrait swung open and I walked to the door and put my hand on the knob. I knew I only had a couple minutes until Transfiguration. I _probably _shouldn't get McGonagall pissed the first day of school. I sighed to myself, and then opened the door to find myself laying eyes on (not the first, I can tell you that) a horrible sight.

Yes, it was Weasley, sitting on the red velvet couch, making out with her _beloved _boyfriend, Lorcan Scamander. Even though this _wasn't _the first time I've seen them make out, my jaw still dropped and I felt like I wanted to vomit. She _always _makes me want to vomit. Apparently Weasley sensed someone was there, and she rather reluctantly broke apart from Lorcan. She looked up and saw me, and her once peaceful state turned into rage.

"Malfoy-what-" Weasley stuttered. "What are you doing?!"

"Well," I said, turning my shock into displeasure. "I was simply walking down the corridor to the Heads' dormitory-" (I was sure not to say "our") "-to get my Transfiguration things. But alas, when I opened the door, I found my eyes looking upon a horrific sight. _Weasley _and her _boyfriend _making out on the sofa!" Weasley blushed, if it was possible, for her face was already red with anger and embarrassment.

"Malfoy," She started angrily. "It's absolutely _none _of your concern-"

"Nope!" I said, holding up my index finger. "Say no more! If you would please keep the snogging to a minimum, I just need to get my things!"

I sprinted up my staircase, swearing under my breath at Weasley and her bastard of a boyfriend. I quickly gathered my things and bounded down the stairs.

"MALFOY!" Weasley shouted.

"Adios!" I said, pushing through the door quickly.

I speed-walked through the corridors, heading toward the Transfiguration classroom. I wondered why Weasley wasn't in class. She would usually be the first one there. Maybe she had a free period, so she chose to spend it snogging Lorcan. I turned the corner and almost ran into the door. I opened it slowly and put my head inside. Half of the class was there, so luckily I wasn't late. Alex turned around to see who was there, and when he saw me, he grinned and beckoned me to come over.

"Hey, Scorp!" Alex exclaimed, clapping me on the back. "What's goin' on?"

"Not much," I said with sarcasm.

He leaned on his elbow and rested his chin on his hand and gave me his best "I'm a teenage girl ready for some gossip" look.

"Wanna tell me?" He said.

I briefly explained Weasley's snogging problem and Dale's strange behavior.

"Oh yeah," Alex said, sitting upright again. "I forgot tell you man, Dale's got a girlfriend."

My jaw dropped.

"Already?!"

"Noo," Alex said, and I couldn't tell if he was joking or not. "They dated over the summer!"

"Wait-are you serious?"

"Yes-wait. No. Wait- yes. Yes I am. Let me think of the details…"

Alex sucked in his lower lip and bit it, and looked at the floor, thinking.

"I remember now!" He said after a moment of silence. "Yeah, they were dating over the summer. I think she's like, his neighbor or something. Anyway, he you know, _knew _her an' all, but he like, never _noticed _her before. If that makes any sense. His family is like, all for their relationship, 'cause he had family over, and she hung out with him a lot, and like-well anyway his parents love her. They think she's a genius. Like, smart. She's tutoring him now."

"But Dale's smart! Why does he need a tutor?" _Why wouldn't they ask _me?!

"I don't know. I guess if he just needs help with something he goes to her now."

I tried _really _hard not snort.

"Well, I guess that would explain why they just made up the story about them studying. I _knew _he didn't take History of Magic. But why would they hide that from me?"

"Dude, why the hell do you ask me? I don't know what goes through that kid's head."

I scowled. "Shut up."

I looked around the room and I saw the room pretty much full. Professor McGonagall walked out of her office, smiling.

"Good morning, class!" She said cheerfully.

We said dully, "Good morning Professor McGonagall."

"Nice to see you all cheerfully awaiting the start of the lesson." She said.

A couple students snickered.

"Well then," She continued. "Shall we get started?"

* * *

**A.N: Oooh... Alex has a crush on Rose... Dale has a girlfriend... AND LEE AND SCORPIUS ARE SINGLE! HA! Just kidding. O.o**

**OVER 800 VIEWS! Ahhh! Thank you guys sooooo much! (I know, I pretty much say that every chapter) I hope you guys are ready for the big twist. Scorpius turns into a _real _softie, so tell me if you think he's a bit... _too _light on everything. I just smile to myself to think about what everyone's reaction is going to be! -cross-eyed dubious look- It's going to blow your mind. ... Well anyway, I think I'm a bit _too _happy about my work. It's what the people say.**

**This chapter seems a bit short... Well the next one'll make up for that. I'm _sure _of that. Not that anyone cares, but I just finished "The Last Olympian!" The last book in the Percy Jackson (and the Olympians) series! I'm soooo happy! :)**

**-Jayna**


	6. The Fight

Chapter Six: The Fight

* * *

The day went on, and it turns out we had pretty much no homework, except Dale had to "study" with Charlotte in the library for his "test." I don't think he knows that I know about him and Charlotte yet. Charlotte seems like a nice girl though. Alex, Lee, and I hung out in the Common Room and caught up, you know, small talk.

"So," Lee said, leaning forward and putting his elbows on his knees. "How'd your day go, Alex? We barely saw you at all."

"Eh," Alex said, thoroughly examining a quill. "I really hate that girl." He muttered.

"Who?"

"Who do you think I'm talking about? That bitch Weasley obviously! She tripped me on my way to one of my classes and I fell on my face!"

It _really _wasn't that big of a deal, and Alex made sure to stress "Weasley." Alex doesn't know that I know that he has a crush on Weasley. So apparently, two of my friends are hiding girl secrets from me. I just don't understand why they would keep stuff like that from me!

"Hey Scorp," Alex says, looking up from his quill. "I forgot, are you dating anyone right now?"

"Nope," I reply.

He looks at me, hoping for elaboration as to why. When he realized he wasn't getting it, he sighed and examined the feathers, smoothing them out with his index finger and thumb.

"How about you Lee?" Alex idly says. "Go snogging any girls lately?"

Lee frowns. "No, why?"

"Just making conversation."

So yeah. That was literally _small talk _(as in not a lot)_. _The clock on the wall chimed 7, and we all stood up, glad to be rid of the silence that was going on.

"Do you think Dale's really 'studying' with Charlotte?" I asked them, stretching.

"Probably not." Alex said, setting down his quill on the table.

"Snogging her face off. That's probably what he's doing." Lee mutters. We all laugh, even though none of us have a sense of humor tonight.

We walk down to the Great Hall, still not talking much. We're just about to walk into the hall, when I hear someone say sharply, "Malfoy."

I turn around, expecting to see Weasley, but instead, it's Tracy, her two little cronies cowering behind her.

"Zabini." I say, rolling my eyes.

"Isn't that a guy's name?" Alex mutters into my ear, making himself chuckle. This just makes Tracy growl and glare at him.

But nevertheless, she says sweetly,"How's my big, bad boy?" She walks over to me, tracing her finger on my jaw, while circling me. I slap her hand away.

"I never befriended you, Tracy." I sneered.

"I know. I just decided to change my act." She replied calmly. _Yeah right, bitch. _She came around and looked at me straight in the eye. She had eyes so dark they almost looked black. She had hair that was short, coming to a stop around the middle of her neck. It was messy, and cut unevenly as if she had cut it herself. I could swear I could see my reflection in her eyes.

"We all know that's not true." I said coldly.

"Hmm… Still doubting me? Maybe this will change your mind." She leaned in real close, and our faces were fractions of an inch apart.

I was about to just smack her across the face, when out of nowhere, someone yelled, "_Petrificus Totalus!" _Tracy's arms and legs zapped to her side, and she toppled over. I looked over, and none of Tracy's friends had their wands raised. It was _Weasley. _She's just flipping everywhere, isn't she?

"Malfoy, what are you doing?" Weasley said harshly. It was hard to read the expression on her face. Tracy's friends scrambled to Tracy's side, and lugged her away. "You can tell Miss Zabini that she'll be facing a month's worth detentions!" Weasley shouted after them.

"Weasley," I said, just as harsh. People turned to watch us, and I felt my cheeks start to radiate heat. "I was _perfectly _capable of-"

"You were going to kiss her!" Weasley shrieked. I was surprised by this. Why would she care?

"What do you care?" I said, repeating my thoughts.

She turned a bright shade of red.

"You're setting a bad example for the younger students!"

"How?!"

"By kissing someone that-that is completely disrespectful to everyone!"

"That doesn't even make any sense! I didn't even kiss her!"

She disregarded the first part and said, "Yeah, but you were going to!"

I hid a smirk as I said, "Even if I did, it's absolutely _none _of your concern." I used her own words against her. I mentally patted myself on the back.

"OH SCREW YOU, MALFOY!" She shrieked. "YOU'RE SUCH A FILTHY _BASTARD!"_

Ok, it got a little crazy after that. I expected her to come over to me, and punch me again. Or throw another insult at me. But guess what? She didn't. Her face was almost as red as her hair. The whole room became silent. The talking stopped. Everybody had their eyeballs glued to the situation. Another Weasley-Scorpius showdown. All of Weasley's friends and family rushed to her side. If looks could kill, I would have dropped to the floor and disintegrated, right on the spot. They were all giving me the death-stare. Lily touched her arm, but she forcefully shook her off, keeping her gaze locked with mine. All of this pressure was coming down on me. So I did the wussy thing. I ran. I ran to the Heads' Dormitory, which was the stupid thing, because that's where Weasley was probably going to take refuge too. But it was the nearest place I could get rid of all of this nonsense, crybaby stuff. I shouted "Mandrake" at the lady and she looked indignant, but she swung open. I scrambled inside and slammed the door behind me, putting my back to it and breathing heavily. I wasn't hungry anymore. At least I was away from those glare-giving monsters.

Suddenly, the door handle turned. It was Weasley. Duh. She pounded on the door, and shook the handle.

"MALFOY IF YOU DON'T OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW, I'M GOING TO BLAST IT OFF THE HINGES!" She shouted.

I searched my robes and pockets for my wand. I found it and grabbed it. The door shook behind my back. I quickly ran from the door, and headed up my staircase. Weasley stormed through the door, her face stained with tears. She slammed the door shut and saw me trying to escape her wrath.

"GET DOWN HERE OR I'LL HEX YOU!" She screamed at me.

I _really _didn't want to get hexed right now, so I grudgingly turned around and walked down the stairs again. I walked right up to her, and I put my wand against her throat.

"I'll hex you if you hex me." I muttered.

She pushed me away and quickly said, _"Expelliarmus!" _My wand flew out of my hand and Weasley caught it easily.

"Please don't lecture me." I said calmly.

_"I_ had a crush on you Scorpius!" She whispered, tears pouring out again. This statement blew my mind. I looked at her, shocked, and my jaw dropped. I understood it now. But I noticed she said "had..."

"_Accio Birthday Card!" _She said. The anonymous birthday card zoomed out of my room and into her hand. _How did she know I brought it?! _Had she been snooping in my room?!

"'_Hi, Scorpius,'" _She read aloud. Her voiced quivered and her hand trembled._ "'I just wanted to say… H-Happy Birthday. And… I l-like you. As in, I have a c-crush on you, like. I apologize if that makes you uncomfortable… If you f-find out who I am. It's just… Whenever I see you, I-I don't know what to say. Y-You might think otherwise… I'm normally…_ Different.'" She looked up, and I still had my startled expression. She continued reading. "'_But anyway, this is k-kind of embarrassing… I just h-hope you'll understand. I just can't hold in anymore. I-I had to tell you. If you see me in the hall… I m-might act weird. But that's be-because I d-don't know how to c-control how I feel. I d-don't know what makes me feel like this, but… It's d-definitely not destiny or that rubbish. I just can't d-describe it. Hopefully you'll find out who I am without f-freaking out-'" _Well apparently that was wrong. "'_But let me just give you a clue… I-In case you want to know: I hate you.'" _She put emphasis on the "I hate you." "_S-Sincerely," _She looked up at me, now shedding more tears than ever. _"'Anonymous.'" _She walked up to me and shoved the card in my hands.

"Don't you get it?!" She said desperately. "'_I hate you.' _I thought you would understand! I'm the only one who loathes you like I do, Malfoy!" Okay, that makes no sense whatsoever. "But you treat me like dung! You insult my friends! You insult my family!" Each word was like a dagger thrust into my chest. "Lily never understood it. She was the only one I _trusted _with my secret. She thought you were an arse-" I winced. "-and so did I. But I _forgave _you. I gave you another chance. But each time, you broke my heart." She started shaking, and she looked down. "A-again, and again, and again." She looked me in the eye and said forcefully, "I'm done." She threw my wand on the ground and went upstairs, and I watched her, still in shock. I heard her door slam, and she cried out and started sobbing loudly. I knew she wasn't faking.

I picked up my wand and stared at the ground. It all made sense now. _She _was the anonymous girl. I read the card again for the one hundredth time. It all fit. Except… She doesn't know how to control how she feels? She doesn't know what to say? Yeah, I did "think otherwise." I stumbled up the stairs, still dazed. Guilt panged through me. Why had I been so rude to her? She had done nothing, not ever, nothing to me. (I mean, she threw back insults, but that's not my point.) My father's influence on me had turned my heart to stone. But it was rude what I did to her. Disgraceful. Mean. Harsh. Unjustified. I vaguely turned the handle on my door and walked inside, throwing on pajamas and setting my wand and the card on my night stand. I flopped onto my bed. That's it. I'm going to change. I'm going to make up for all those rude comments about her hair. Her stomach. Her face. I'm going to apologize to her, and help build up a friendship that should've been created when I first met her on the Hogwarts Express, seven years ago.

I remember myself, being a timid little first year, standing in front of the scarlet red engine. My parents patting me on the back, giving me final hugs and kisses. My owlet Harold was twittering happily inside his cage. I lugged my stuff onto the train, and I dragged it down the aisles of compartments. I finally found one that wasn't full of people older than me, making out with their boyfriends/girlfriends. I slid the door open, gasping for breath.

"C-Can I sit in he-" I started. But I never finished my sentence. I looked upon the faces of a tiny, frail red-headed girl, and two other boys. The girl looked up at me, stopping whatever she was saying to the two boys. She had sparkling blue eyes, and had freckles sprayed across her face. One of the boys had black hair, the other had dark brown. They all looked at me skeptically.

"Can I help you?" The girl said.

"Uh, y-yeah," I managed to say. "Y-You're pretty."

The girl blushed, and I probably was an even brighter shade of red.

I nearly bolted, but the girl smiled and said, "I'm Rose Weasley." She got up and put out her hand.

I shook it, and said, "I'm Salfoy Morpius. I mean, S-Scorpius Malfoy."

Rose giggled. One of the boys got up and pulled her back.

He whispered audibly, "Rose, don't! He's a _Malfoy!"_

I didn't like the way he said "Malfoy."

"Excuse me?" I said. "Who are you?"

The boy turned to me. He looked at me in a way that made me scared. He was obviously a second year, even though he only looked slightly older than me. "I'm James Potter. That's my brother, Albus Potter."

He jerked his head toward the other boy, who seemed younger, probably my age. He sheepishly smiled. I was about to say hi, but James cut me off.

"Don't come near my cousin." He said harshly.

"Can I sit in-"

"No." He pushed me out and shut the door. Rose looked out the window and mouthed, "Sorry." James shot me one last glare, and I saw his mouth form the words, "Stay away from him." I frowned, and dragged my stuff down the aisle again. I came upon a compartment that evidently, all of my current friends were in, along with an older girl. I slid the door open.

Before I could even ask if I could sit there, one of the boys said, "Woah. Why's your face all red?"

The older girl shot him a stern look.

"I mean hi." He said quickly.

"Hi. I'm Scorpius Malfoy." I replied. "Mind if I sit in here?"

The boy opened his mouth as to object, but the older girl said, "Of course!"

She helped me put my stuff up on one of the shelves, and I sat next to her, putting Harold on my lap. He examined the new strangers.

"Hi," the girl said, giving me a warm smile. "I'm Mary Smith." It seemed like an ironic name, but I smiled back. "That's my younger brother, Lee." She said, pointing to the boy who'd asked me why my face was red. He sat next to two other boys. She pointed to them. "These are his friends, Alex Butler and Xavier di Marco. Xavier is French."

Xavier was eventually transferred to Durmstrang for some reason, but as of the beginning of the year, he attended Hogwarts. This explains why Alex knows a little French I guess. "Di Marco" doesn't even sound French. (Dale joined our group sometime in the beginning of sixth year.) Lee was just about to say something, when I opened my eyes.

I was all tangled in my bed sheets, and my pillow was on the floor. Blinding sunlight made me squint. I got up and scratched my head. Apparently my first experience on the Hogwarts Express was my dream. I'm not blaming James for not having a friendship with Weasley, but he contributed to it. I can't believe the first thing I ever said to her was that she was pretty. Or did my mind just make that up? My clock said 8:30 AM. I still had a half an hour to sleep, but I decided to get ready anyway. All throughout my morning preparations, I thought about Weasley, and how I'm going to change. I felt really guilty about being so rude to her after all these years. First off, I'm going to call her _Rose, _and not Weasley. _Rose is her name, not Weasley, _I thought again, and again, and again.I checked under the Tuesday column on my schedule; double Potions with Gryffindor. Great. Here's my chance to deem myself right. I bounded down the stairs, and sure enough, Weas- I mean _Rose _was sitting on the couch reading. I deeply inhaled, and then cleared my throat. She jumped and dropped her book. She looked up. Her eyes were red and puffy, as if she had spent the whole night crying. I feel _really, really _bad now.

"Good morning We-Rose," I said as cheerfully as possible.

Shock appeared on her face as I addressed her by her first name. She picked up the book and stood up, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

"I waited for you because I needed to tell you that Professor McGonagall needs a date for Quidditch tryouts." Rose said. "I told you _yesterday _to figure it out."

My face turned red. "Oh, um, oh yeah. Well I was just thinking, didn't we miss our patrolling last night?"

Rose blushed as well. "Oh yeah," She said, looking down. "Yeah, I guess we forgot about that."

"Yeah…"

There was an awkward silence hanging in the air.

"Well I'll see you later." She said, heading for the door.

"Wait!" I said, not even thinking, grabbing her hand.

She blushed an even darker shade of red.

"Umm…" She sucked her lips in and stared at her shoes.

I quickly let go of her hand.

"Ok, let's just start over." I mimed walking down the stairs. "Oh! Good morning Rose!"

"This is ridiculous." She muttered, looking up. "Um, good morning… _Scorpius._"

A shiver ran down my back.

"Shall we walk to Potions together?" I asked her and put out my hand. "Friend?" I added.

She replied quietly (and maybe a bit sarcastically), "I'd be delighted..." She looked sideways, almost as if checking if anyone was around. "Friend," she agreed, shaking my hand.

We're friends now. That's a good start so far.

We walked to Potions together. And I opened the door for her. She tilted her head a little, but walked in. _I _was even surprised by my actions. I might have gotten carried away, but I led her to a table in the back of the room. I was glad she didn't just ditch me on the way there. I chose our path carefully, making sure we didn't pass by my friends' table. But, as careful as I was, we accidentally walked pass Albus. That was embarrassing. He looked up in astonishment, gaping at Rose walking behind me. She paid him no attention, and I hoped she was glad for this new change. We plopped ourselves down at the table, and started setting ourselves up. I accidently brushed against her when I was putting my cauldron on the table, and she blushed. I scooted my stool like five inches to the right (away from her. Duh).

Professor Grayton came out of his office. He said he was rather busy at the moment, so he vaguely told us to work with whoever we were sitting with and make a Dittany. If we did it right, it would be a benefit to us as well, seeing how we would be able to keep it and use it. A Dittany plant is very rare, so I wasn't surprised when part of the class went up to him and said they didn't have any. He just waved them off and told them to make something else then. They walked away and started mumbling to each other. Lucky for me, my father and I had been staying at my Aunt's house (I don't want to explain why. Let's just say we were _visiting_) over the summer, and she had a Dittany plant. She said when she was a little girl, she went camping with her mum (who was a witch) and they found a Dittany plant. When she got home, (where she lives now) she planted it in her yard. Well now she has a whole boxed-out section in her garden full of Dittany plants. She gave me one to plant in my yard. My parents weren't all for digging up our yard, but it was a Dittany plant. They couldn't refuse the offer (seeing how it's so rare). I recently picked one, so I have a couple plants in my suitcase. I brought them just in case we might make Dittany. I hope they're still fresh.

"_Accio Dittany!" _I said.

Two Dittany plants flew over everyone's heads and onto my table. Luckily, no one noticed. Rose stared at it in awe. I gave her the plants, and she looked at me as if saying, "Are you sure?" Which didn't make any sense. I bumped her with my shoulder, and smiled. She gave me a crooked smile back and flipped through her book to find the page with a bolded heading, "Dittany." She slid the book in between us, and I adjusted my cauldron so it sat in between us as well. She began to chop up the dittany, and I started measuring out a ¼ cup of bat spleens (gross, right?).

* * *

Rose and I leaned back and sighed. We finally and finished. I raised my hand for a high-five, but she didn't notice. She was busy staring at Lorcan. I lowered my hand. Stupid, idiotic, despicable, moron, Lorcan-

"Alright class," Professor Grayton said, interrupting my thoughts. "Did everyone at least complete _a_ Potion with your partner?"

"Yes," we all said.

"Good. I'll be coming around with the grade book in just a moment. If you made Dittany, we can test it out by using a Severing Charm on- not your _partner, _Mr. Smith."

I looked over and saw Lee pointing his wand at Alex. They started laughing and I rolled my eyes. They can be _so _immature. I looked across the room, and I saw Dale sitting with Charlotte. Dale's eyes scanned the room, and he saw me sitting with Rose. I could've sworn I saw his jaw drop before I took a sudden interest in my cutting knife. I turned it over in my hands and I heard Professor Grayton talking, but I didn't pay attention. I accidentally dropped my knife, and it clattered to the ground. I bent down to pick it up, and I lost my balance, so I pressed my knuckles into the ground to keep myself steady. When I sat back up, I set the knife on the table. It had blood on it. _Oh crap, _I thought. I looked at my hand. It had a deep gash in it, and it was spilling blood onto the table. I touched it, being stupid, and I drew in breath sharply. Gosh, that hurt. How could I be so _stupid?_ Rose looked at me questioningly, and then looked down and saw my hand. She gasped.

"O-Okay Scorpius," She said, breathing quickly, looking around for something. Although my hand was preoccupying me, I noticed how easily she said "Scorpius" rather than "Malfoy." Why was I having more trouble calling her "Rose?"

"Everything's going to be _okay._" She said frantically. She didn't sound so sure herself. She shouted over everyone's chatter. "Professor Grayton! Scorpius-his hand-knife-gosh, just come here!"

Everyone turned to look at us, and some of them started whispering to each other. As painful as my hand was, I felt my face and neck get hot. I summoned a rag to our table from across the room and used _Aguamenti _to dampen it. I started dabbing at my hand to get the blood off. Professor Grayton rushed back to our table. Rose dug around in her bag. What was she doing? Was she going to help me or not? She brought out a pipette and put it into our Dittany and squeezed it. The potion went up into the pipette and she put it over my hand. I removed the rag and she squeezed the pipette again. Drops of the Dittany went onto my hand, and it burned. I cried out in pain.

"It's okay, Scorpius," She said calmly. "It's going to burn, but it'll heal. I promise."

I didn't need her to promise. I knew it would work. At least… I hope it did.

The pain began to lessen, and I started dabbing at the blood again. Professor Grayton stood in front of our table, watching in awe. Everyone else craned their necks to get a good look at us, and some people just got up from their seats to come to our table. When the blood was all gone, there was no gash anymore. The skin was resealed and there was a very faint red line where the cut was. Rose and I sighed of relief, and some (moron) kids started clapping. I wanted to just slap them. Fools. I looked up at Rose, and she weakly smiled, but she looked pale. Professor Grayton was scribbling madly in his grade book. He finally looked up.

"Great job, Rose and Scorpius!" He exclaimed. "Fantastic! You guys did an amazing job on the Dittany! And it works! Fifty points to Gryffindor and Slytherin!"

Everyone still clapped, and I saw Alex and Lee gaping at me and Rose, muttering to each other. Dale and Charlotte were smiling at me. Charlotte winked. My eyes strayed to Rose. She was looking down at the table, blushing from all the attention. Professor Grayton shooed everyone back to their tables and walked around the room, grading everyone else's work.

I looked at Rose again. She had her head on the table, her arms cushioning it. Her face was buried in her elbow. She wasn't shaking or anything, so I knew she wasn't crying. Or at least I don't _think _she was. I poked her. I probably seemed like my old, rude self. She looked up. Her eyes were still red from last night, but there weren't any tears. She was probably thinking… Or sleeping.

"Hmm?" She said.

I said lamely, "Oh, just making sure you weren't sleeping. We still have another forty minutes to go."

She gave me a questioning look with those dazzling blue eyes. I felt my eyes start to dry out and make things fuzzy (from staring at her for so long) so I turned away and blinked my eyes back into focus.

* * *

**A.N: Yay! They're friends! Things are starting to go uphill from here. More interesting drama and such. Then there's another BANG. Later... Tee hee can't wait!**

**BTW: Nobody really gives a crud, but tomorrow's my birthday! :) (November 3rd)**

**I just want to let loose a minor spoiler. Charlotte isn't who she seems to be. Just saying! I'll leave you with that cliffhanger... ;)**

**-Jayna**


	7. Free Time Picnic

Chapter Seven: Free Time Picnic

* * *

**A.N: This chapter is dedicated to The Hummingbird's Song.**

**(I'm talking specifically to The Hummingbird's Song) Thank you so much for the AWESOME reviews! They are lengthy, but useful, and quite entertaining. ;) I felt the need to dedicate this one to you because I felt like you _really _enjoy my fan fiction, and that just means so much to me. :)**

**You guys should go check out the reviews!**

* * *

After Potions, I was cornered by my friends, all squirming with questions. They looked at me with shock, wonder, and surprise. I told Rose to go on without me, and I'd see her later in the afternoon.

Lee was the first to speak up.

"SO YOU DO LIKE WEASLEY!" He practically shouted so people all across London could hear. I smacked him across the face.

"Do you want people to get their facts wrong?!" I yelled at him. "I do _not _like Weasley! We need to start calling her _Rose. _I just decided to change, ok! This doesn't mean I like the rest of the Weasley-Potter lot, just Rose is actually ok!"

"Why didn't you tell us, mate?" Dale said.

"I just hadn't seen you guys. Since the chaotic last night, things have changed a lot."

"Like what?" Alex asked me.

I quickly filled them in about the anonymous note, and the connection to Rose.

"Why the bloody hell wouldn't you tell us?" Lee asked me.

"I don't know," I shrugged. "I guess I just thought that I could figure it out myself."

"A whole year." Lee said, shaking his head.

"Alex, I'm sorry about this." I said, turning to him. "I know you like Rose."

Alex's face turned red. "Well, um…" He started. "I mean, _you _don't like Rose, right? That's all I'm wondering." I shook my head.

"Dude, I've said it about a bazillion times! I _don't! _I'm just friends with her now, ok?"

"Closer than I'll ever get." Alex muttered.

I told them that I'd see them later. I had Herbology next by myself. I wonder if Rose is in my class… I saluted them "bye" and went to the Heads' Dormitory to change my stuff. Rose was just coming down the stairs.

"Don't forget to schedule Quidditch tryouts." Rose pointed out.

"Oh yeah," I said.

I just put my hand on the railing when I did the unthinkable.

I turned around and asked her, "What are you doing this afternoon?"

She stared at me with an unreadable expression.

"Umm, nothing," she said, looking down and adjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder. "Well after Herbology I have a free period."

I stifled back a sigh of relief.

"Do you want to have a picnic with me on the grounds?" I blurted.

She looked up and smiled. It made me feel all warm inside. "Sure."

"Well I guess I'll see you later."

"Yeah, later… _Scorpius._" She turned around and briskly left.

I let out a breath that I noticed I was holding. I switched out my things and headed down to Greenhouse 3. I just thought of something: If Rose likes me, then why is she dating bastard Scamander? I saw Dale and Charlotte heading in the opposite direction as me. Charlotte was clutching Dale's arm, and when she saw me, she quickly let go of him and winked at me. _Peculiar. _I gave her a quick smile and wave. I picked up my pace.

When I got to Greenhouse 3, there was an assortment of different kids from different houses. I saw Rose among them, chatting with Rachel and Katie. I scanned the group for someone else I knew. I noticed Tracy was there, and instantly hundreds of different swear words popped into my head. I walked into the Greenhouse, and scooted around the room, avoiding Rose and Tracy. I accidentally bumped into someone.

"Hey," the girl said, picking up her glasses and shoving them back on her face. "Watch where you're going!"

"Sorry," I muttered, continuing to scoot around her.

"Wait a second!" she said, grabbing my arm.

I quickly turned my head to look at her. It was Alyssa Longbottom. Alyssa had light brown hair and a bad case of acne. I guess you could say she was a nerd. Er, well nerd _looking. _She was especially good at Herbology, just like her father. Professor Longbottom had left Hogwarts after his tenth year of teaching. He had been needed elsewhere by Harry Potter for some reason.

"Yeah, Alyssa?" I said, wanting to move away ASAP just in case Rose or Tracy was coming.

"I heard you and Rose are friends now." She said rather suspiciously.

"Yes we are." I said through gritted teeth. I attempted to tug my arm out of her hand. "Now could you please let go of me-"

"Hey," she said, tightening her grip. "I just want to say, if you _ever, _hurt my friend again, I'll be the _last _person you'll want to see."

She let go of my arm and I scrambled away from her. I rubbed my arm. Gosh, Rose has some _weird _friends. I heard Professor Green talking.

"Alright," she said. "I'm going to have you tend to the Venomous Tentaculas-" everyone groans. "-with a partner. And I'm not just saying it so you can do my work this time. You can choose your partner now."

Everyone shuffles around the room, looking for their friends. I feel someone slip their hand into mine. I look to my left and see Rose smiling. I look down to see our fingers laced together. She quickly retracts her hand and blushes.

"Don't forget that you're allowed to swear loudly if it attempts to strangle you."

Everyone laughs half-heartedly. _I_ at least think it's that funny.

"I would _appreciate it, _if none of you tried to smuggle leaves out of the Greenhouse this time." A couple boys sheepishly smiled and scooted to the back of the room. "You can get started now."

Rose and I went over to the nearest Tentacula plant and put our gloves on.

"Bet this'll be exciting." I muttered.

Rose snorted. I picked up a pair of heavy duty clippers.

Right away, a long, flailing vine wrapped itself around Rose's neck and started to squeeze. The spikes pressed deeper into her skin as she desperately tugged on the vine and gasped for breath. Mercilessly, I chopped off a ton of super long vines. She ripped off the vine that now hung loosely around her neck. She had small red marks and holes where the spikes had pierced her skin. She rubbed her neck and coughed.

"Thanks," she gasped.

"No problem." I replied. "Now get some more clippers and help me fight this stupid thing."

We cut and chopped off more vines while swearing under our breath when one of them hit us. We used _"Diffindo!"_ plenty of times. Our plant looked extremely demented, and appeared to be no more than a couple green spiky vines coming out of a pot of dirt. I hope Professor Green wouldn't get mad for completely beating up her Tentacula to a stump. We had scratches and marks all over our arms and faces. We took off our gloves and Rose wiped her brow with them, smearing dirt across her forehead. I smiled and rolled my eyes, shooting her with "_Aguamenti." _She used the sleeve of her shirt as a cloth and wiped the water off her face. She took the vial of Dittany we had made today out of her pocket and squirted some on her arms and mine. Almost instantly, the cuts and scratches were pretty much healed.

Professor Green came over to inspect our work, but when she saw the stump sitting in the pot, she sighed. We smiled sheepishly at her.

"Sorry, Professor," I said. "It kept attacking us, and I guess we got a bit carried away."

"'A bit?'" She muttered. "Well I guess this one will have some re-growing to do. Please clear away those vines." She walked away.

Rose and I put our gloves back on and bunched up the vines. We put them in a large garbage sack, where many fallen leaves and dead flowers were.

"So…" I said, trying to make conversation. "Um, well, after Herbology, I guess I'll meet you in the Heads' dormitory."

"Oh yeah," Rose said, taking off her gloves again. "Do you want me to get food?"

"Nah, I got it."

"Are you going to steal food from the elves?" Rose said disapprovingly.

"_Me? Steal? _Of course not! But…" I hesitated. I wanted to tell her that I knew a secret entrance to the kitchen, but that's why they call it _secret. _"Just don't worry about it. I got it covered."

Rose looked at me suspiciously, but she said, "Ok."

We watched the other students attack the Tentaculas viciously in silence.

Before long, Herbology was over. I said a quick goodbye to Rose, and ran back inside the castle. I wanted to make sure I had enough time to get food. I walked farther down the corridor where the door to the Heads' dormitory was. The hallway was deserted, and my footsteps echoed off the walls. I came upon a tapestry of a chef chopping carrots in a kitchen. I lifted the tapestry, and sighed. I felt ridiculous saying this.

I stared at the brick right in front of my eyes and said, "Papaya."

The brick pushed itself into the wall, and rotated into the brick to its left, leaving a space open. The bricks above and below it repeated this action and soon enough, there was a space wide enough for even Hagrid to fit through. I stepped inside and smelled meat cooking. The wall resealed itself behind me.

Imagine the inside of an anthill. Hundreds upon hundreds of ants doing jobs, bringing food to the queen and whatnot. In this case, the elves weren't bringing food to a queen, but it was just as busy. Several elves were working at the stove, while others rushed around, carrying platters and bowls. The room was large, but yet there were more doors leading to other rooms. The floor was white tile, but it had some stains on it from previous spills. An elf smaller than the others wearing a grimy pillowcase bounded over to me.

"Welcome, Master Scorpius!" she said.

This is Isa. She and I have a strange relationship. I'll give you the short version. My father had once told me about how to get into the kitchen (in first year when I asked him where all the food came from). So, in my second year, I tried it out, and it worked. The first time, I just examined the room, and all the elves were too busy scurrying around to notice me. The next day when I went to the kitchen, a small elf (Isa) noticed me. She dropped a bowl of soup and all the elves turned to look at me. She picked it up and stared at me, shaking. An older, bigger elf with a chef hat trudged over to me and examined me.

"You a Weasley?" He said with a raspy voice. I opened my mouth to object rudely but he answered his own question. "Bah, no. You don't have the red hair. Then… You must be a Malfoy. Yeah. What's your name?"

"Scorpius." I answered proudly.

"Yeah. Your father came here sometimes. Well, I guess Isa here can give you a tour. Everyone else get back to work!"

The clanging of pots and pans against forks and spoons resumed. Isa timidly turned toward me.

"So I guess you're Isa?" I asked her.

"Y-Y-Yes, sir." She said, her lip quivering. "I is Isa."

I extended my hand to her. She held the bowl up to her face to hide her eyes as if I was holding dynamite. I sheepishly put my hand back to my side.

"Well, let's get this tour started." I said.

Isa showed me around, and then quickly went back to work. Every day when I went to the kitchen, I would always look for the tiny elf with giant hazel eyes. I would always say hi to her, and after a while, she said hi back. She and I got to know each other, and I learned her story.

Isa used to work for a very rich family. She was a good elf, and she always listened to orders. The children always loved to play around with her, even though they weren't supposed to. She came to love the family, especially the children. But one day, one of the children, Billy, had broken his mother's vase when playing with Isa. Isa warned him about the glass, and went to get a broom and dustpan. But Billy tried to pick up the glass and cut himself. When Isa came back, Billy was being cradled in his mother's arms and telling him comforting words while he cried. The mother looked up and shot Isa a glare. When Billy was put down for bed, the mother went up to Isa. She said that she would be kind enough to supply Isa with a home, but not for long. Isa wondered why. Billy was forbidden to play with Isa, and it upset her. A week later, the family packed up and left. Isa was heartbroken, and wandered the streets. Professor McGonagall found her, tiny and frail, digging in the trash for food. Professor McGonagall took pity on her, and sent her to work in the kitchens.

I guess that wasn't really the _short _version. Anyway, she and I became, I guess, _friends, _but I don't know why she started the whole "Master Scorpius" thing.

I smiled at her. "Isa," I said. "You don't need to call me 'master.'"

"I know," she replied happily. "But I is trying to be polite, sir. What would you like today?"

"Just a couple sandwiches and two containers of juice. Maybe an apple or two. Put it in a picnic basket, please."

"Do you promise to return the basket to Isa?"

"Yes, I promise, Isa."

"What are you doing with it?" She asked curiously.

"Just going on the grounds to visit with a friend."

"Okay. Be back in a minute!" Isa bounded off to make the sandwiches.

I sat down on one of the chairs at a table in the middle of the kitchen. It seemed odd that I was having a picnic with Rose. But I guess we sort of needed it, right? Friends have to know each other well. We could use it as a time to visit. Like I told Isa. A couple minutes later, Isa trotted back with a picnic basket.

She handed it to me and said, "Are you going on a date?"

My face turned hot. "Um, no, Isa," I said, trying to sound upbeat. "I-I'm just hanging out with one of my friends."

"A girl friend? Like I is?"

"Yeah. My friend. That's a girl."

"Ohh, ok. A _friend_, that's a _girl._" Isa smiled. "I is going to see you later, Master Scorpius." Isa bowed, winked (by scrunching up her face), and then scurried off to work.

I shook my head, but I smiled. She's a nice elf. I pressed my hand on the brick wall and the opening appeared. I stepped back into the cool hallway. I walked back down the hallway, leaving the darkness behind me. I was just about to say "Mandrake," when the portrait swung open and Rose came out.

"Oh, Scorpius," she said. "I was just about to go looking for you."

Rose had changed into a yellow sundress with orange butterflies on it. She had her hair pulled back with a yellow headband. She had on white flats with daisies on them. She had her wand in hand, and her eyes sparkled.

"You, um," I stammered. "You look great."

I honestly thought about telling her it was a bit cold for a sundress, but I thought better of it. Besides...she did look really pretty.

She rolls her eyes. "Cut it out with the compliments like we're going on a date." Her eyes widened. "We _aren't, _right?"

"Right." I said vaguely, like I wasn't even listening to her. I don't know why.

"Well let's go then."

"'Kay."

I started to walk to the large doors that led to the grounds, Rose behind me. Through the windows, I could tell that there was a clear sky, and it was a sunny day. I pushed open the doors, and Rose walked through. I followed. She was now ahead, and she led me to a tall willow tree. It was actually quite warm out, for the middle of autumn. When we got to the tree, I took off my robes and laid them in a pile next to the tree. I sat down in the shade and opened the picnic basket. Thanking Isa mentally, I found two sandwiches, an apple, a banana, two water bottles, plates, napkins, apple pie, and a checkered blanket. I was surprised that all of it could fit in the basket, but I figured the basket had some undetectable expanding charm or something. I took out the blanket and laid it out.

"Wow, Scorpius," Rose said, elegantly sitting down. "You packed _everything._"

I hesitated. "Yeah, well, I had some help from the house elves."

"Yeah, _did _you steal it from them?"

I took out the sandwiches and plates. "No…"

Rose stared at me.

"Ok, fine. I _didn't, _but I have access to the kitchen."

"Really?!"

"Yeah."

"Cool! So do you like, ask them to make you sandwiches and stuff? I mean…"

"Well yeah, sort of." I explained to her about Isa.

"Wow!" She exclaimed. "A house elf friend… That's _so _cool!"

"She is. But I don't know why she keeps calling me 'Master Scorpius.'" I pushed the plate with the sandwich on it toward her and took a bite of mine. "It just seems weird. Are all house elves like that?"

Rose shrugged as she bit into her sandwich. "I guess. I feel kind of bad for her. How her owners just abandoned her like that. I mean, she _did _warn Billy about the glass."

"I'm surprised that the family thought it was that bad. I mean, it was just a cut."

"Yeah, but you don't know how severe it was."

"C'mon, Rose, it was just a shard of glass."

Rose shrugged again. I liked how it sounded like we had been friends for a long time, and we were just having a _civilized _argument. …That makes no sense. Silence lingered in the air for a few moments as we continued to eat our sandwiches. I handed her a bottle of water. She took a swig and then belched.

"'Scuse me." She said, repositioning herself, so that her back was leaning against the tree. I looked at her, astonished that she had honestly just _burped _in front of me. "What? I can't burp in front of my friend?" _We're friends, _I thought happily to myself.

"No," I said, looking out at the lake. "That's just like, a _guy _thing."

"You calling me a guy?"

"No…"

More unbearable silence…

"So," I said, turning back to her. "Let's start off with the basics."

Rose raised her eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"A simple Question and Answer. You know, so we can get to know each other better."

"Oh. Well answer honestly."

"I'll try."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Ok, me first. What's your favorite color?"

I looked at her, confused. "What kind of question is that?"

She gave me the "are you kidding me?" look. "Friends should know each other's favorite colors."

"Fine. Green. What's yours?"

"Purple. Favorite subject?"

"Potions. Favorite animal?"

"Owl. Yours?"

"Eagle."

"Really? I thought it would be a scorpion."

"Ha, ha very funny," I said sarcastically. "Favorite food?"

"Pasta."

"Wow, that's a surprise."

"Why?"

"That's your question."

Rose threw her head back and laughed.

"Gee, Scorpius. Fine. Now answer."

"Just thought you'd be watching your figure. Isn't gluten bad for you?"

"That's_ your _question." Rose said slyly. "And yes, it is. What's _your _favorite food?"

"Pizza."

"Figures."

"When's your birthday?" I asked.

"December 4th. What's your pet peeve?"

"You snogging your boyfriend at the dinner table."

Rose gave me the stink-eye and sighed.

I said, "Here's my next question: Why do you date Lorcan if you like me?"

Rose looked at me sadly, then looked down and started to fidget with the hem of her dress.

"Answer truthfully." I pointed out.

She hesitated for a moment, and then opened her mouth to reply, but someone shouted, "ROSE?!"

Pounding our direction with a red face was Lorcan Scamander.

"Rose, what the bloody hell are you doing with Scorpius?!" He shouted. He pointed his wand at me. _"Petrificus-"_

I whipped out my wand and said quickly, _"Expelliarmus!"_

His wand flew out of his hand and I caught it.

"Let her explain." I said. I turned my head toward her and I saw that she was blushing.

"Lorcan, listen," Rose said forcefully, making sure he didn't interrupt. "I was simply having a picnic with Scorpius. Nothing weird, I promise. We're friends now. You won't have to listen to me drone on and on about how he ruins my life anymore."

I shifted uncomfortably.

"No offense." She added, when she saw my face.

Lorcan seemed a little more relaxed. "Fine. I believe you. And if nothing weird's going on, you'll let me join your little 'picnic?'"

"Sure," Rose said.

Lorcan sat down, but I had a bunch of different things flying through my head. _What? Why? He's going to ruin it! We were bonding! We were having a good time! Does it have to go wrong, just like everything else when Rose's around? I'm not saying that this is her fault though. Just-no!_

In a frenzy, I tugged on the blanket and they both got up.

Rose looked confused. "Scorpius, what-"

I emptied the picnic basket quickly, putting the stuff on the ground, and then shoved the blanket inside.

"Scorpius-" Rose started. But Lorcan put up his hand, looking rather pleased. He leaned over and gave Rose a sloppy, wet kiss. When they broke apart, Lorcan looked at me with disgust.

"Why are you still here?" He said.

"Lorcan-"

"Enjoy your picnic with Lorcan, Rose." I muttered. I made a quick pivot and headed back to the castle.

* * *

**A.N: I really hated Lorcan in this chapter. **

**Ok, I'm giving my friend a shoutout. If you guys would mind doing me a favor, please go check out my friend musiclover545446's Rose/Scorpius Fan Fiction? It's called "Malfoys are Morons." :P**

**Thanks again to The Hummingbird's Song for the _wonderful _reviews!**

**-Jayna**


	8. Missing

Chapter Eight: Missing

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To be honest, I felt kind of bad about walking out on her like that. It's just-_Lorcan. _What an arse. He ruined it. _Ruined what? _Part of my head said. _It's not like you were on a date, watching her hair flow when the wind blew. _But was I? What the heck, _no. _Good god I sound like a love-struck teenager. But am I? What's up with all the "but's?" I am _not _a love-struck teenager, and I _certainly _was _not _watching her hair "flow" like that. Her eyes, though... It's just the way they light up when she smiles, and how they twinkle in the sunlight. I smashed my palms into my temples. SHUT UP. SHUT UP _NOW. _

I was sitting in Transfiguration, trying to take a pre-test. I honestly _cannot _remember anything at the moment, because my brain is too thoroughly wrapped around Rose and her idiot boyfriend. Where is she anyway? I look up from my paper. The seat northeast from me is vacant, while the one next to it is occupied by Katie. I wonder what she's doing. She's in my Transfiguration class, right? I seriously just saw her about twenty minutes ago. Alex, would you stop stinking nudging me-

"Hey, Scorp," he whispered. "What'd you get for number twenty-?"

"Shut up!" I whispered back harshly. "Stop asking for answers! I'm not helping you!"

Alex stuck his tongue out and scribbled down _"Alohomora."_

That isn't even Transfiguration, you moron.

I dug my nails into my forehead and concentrated on the paper.

_"What is one way to-?"_

But seriously. Where is she? I _know _she's in my Transfiguration class. She's not sick already, is she? She didn't seem sick. What if Lorcan said something to her? What if he hit her or something? Would she be crying in her dormitory? Nah, she's tough. She could take it. Or could she? _She cried when you insulted her, _part of my brain thought. Yeah, but I was more harsh. A wave of guilt swept over me. I've been over this (with myself) a million times already. She _forgives _you, Scorpius. You're _friends _for crying out loud. Everything's cool between you guys now. MIND. WANDERING. MUST. FOCUS.

I reread question twenty-five again.

_"What is one stay-" _No, try again. _"What is pun-" _No, no, no! Try again! _"What is one way to transfigure a body part (what spell)?" _There. I did it. I wiped my sweaty palms on my pants. If it took me like, two minutes to read the question, how long is this going to take me? _Well if there are thirty questions- _stop it! Transfiguration. This is _not _Arithmancy, this is _not _Arithmancy. Focus, Scorpius, focus. Focus, _f-o-c-u- _SHUT UP! I slammed my head on the table, a couple people giving me awkward glances. My gosh this is going to be a long day.

* * *

After that painful Transfiguration test, I had Charms. Rose was in my class, but yet she wasn't there. It was, again, _really _hard to concentrate. But why? _Why _do I all the sudden care about her so much? I don't _like her, _do I? Of course not! We're friends! Is that why I care about her? Well yeah, friends should care about other friends. But if I like her, Alex is going to be so pissed. But I'm not _saying _I like her! Am I? AM I? Why is this so hard to comprehend? I don't _like_ her, but we're simply… friends who care about each other. But if I went missing, would she care this much? Or would she go off and snog Lorcan to get over her sadness? I gripped my quill tighter. Think, Scorpius. Where could she be? Okay, 1, she could be hanging out with Lorcan. 2, she has another free period and is doing something else. 3, she's in her dormitory. 4, she's been abducted by some supernatural aliens. What the heck? That just sounds like some stupid little kid idea. Okay, scratch that. I think 2 and 3 are the most reasonable. I _hope _she's not with Lorcan. He just- wait. Why do I despise him so much? _Well, he's a moron, he's a show-off, he's a _moron_, he's dating Rose- _is that it? Is that why I don't like him? Because he's dating Rose? Does this mean I like her? Just-NO! I _have _to get my work done. This is going to be _just _like Transfiguration. It took me the whole dang forty-five minutes to get a stinking pre-test done.

I don't even remember what the assignment was. Lee and I were just sitting there, and I was waving my wand around, idly making orange sparks fly out of my wand, my quill in my other hand. I wasn't aware of what everyone else was doing. I think we were supposed to be conjuring birds or whatever, because I saw a couple zoom by my peripheral vision.

"_Avis!" _I thought. A loud _bang _echoed in the room, and smoke came out of my wand. I knew the spell had worked through all the coughing and hacking of other students, for I heard birds tweeting. When the smoke cleared, four small canaries were twittering above my head. Professor Randset came over, wiping his glasses on a cloth.

"Scorpius," he said sternly. "What in Merlin's beard are you doing?"

I didn't want to admit that I wasn't paying attention, so I rephrased it.

"Well," I started off. "I'm-um, sorry, but I kind of zoned out, so I didn't hear what we were supposed to be doing. I saw a couple birds whiz past my ear, so I just assumed that we were conjuring birds."

"It was good of you to use logical reasoning, but that _wasn't_ the assignment. Some birds just escaped their cage earlier this morning, and I've been too busy to catch them at the moment. You and Mr. Smith were _supposed to_ get an ice cube and use the Engorgement and Shrinking Charm on it, verbally and nonverbally." Professor Randset walked back to his desk. I noticed that the entire room was silent. "Please pay attention next time, Scorpius. I do hope I don't have to give the Head Boy a detention." A series of "Ooh"s filled the room. Stupid son of a banshee. I never liked Professor Randset anyway. Yes, I did just call a professor a son of a banshee. I shot everyone within a ten foot radius of me the famous Malfoy glare, and they all shut up and got back to work. I summoned the ice cube to our desk.

"Sorry 'bout that." Lee muttered. "You just looked so deep in thought… I decided not to bug you."

"Nah, its fine." I said. "Let's enlarge this sucker."

I pointed my wand at the ice cube, and so did Lee.

I said, _"Engorgio!" _and at the same time, I heard Lee say _"Engorgio!" _too.

The ice cube swelled four times its usual size, and just for good measure, Lee said it again. The ice cube took up about half of our desk now. Lee and I said, _"Reducio!" _in unison. I said it a second time and the ice cube shrank back to its normal size. He and I repeated the action, this time nonverbally. Professor Randset examined our work and even though we weren't paying attention for directions the first time, he said he gave us full points. I waved my wand and the ice cube floated over to the sink and dropped itself in it.

Not even thinking, I pointed my wand at the kid sitting in front of me and thought, _"Oppugno!" _The canaries I conjured dove down and started pecking and biting the kid's head and hands. He swiped at them, swearing under his breath, and one by one they disappeared into feathers and dust. He swiveled around in his seat and shot me a glare, but when he turned around again, Lee clapped me on the back and snorted.

* * *

Charms was finally over, and thankfully, dinner was close. Even though the half picnic with Rose was enjoyable, my stomach was growling. I walked back to the Heads' Dormitory, telling Lee that I'd meet him in the Slytherin Common Room in a little bit.

I opened the door and said, "Hi, Rose!" but the room was completely isolated. Where the _heck _could she be? I dropped my stuff in my dormitory, only to find a dead rat lying on my floor. _Gee, thanks Harold. _I threw the rat out the window and went back downstairs. I just had my hand on the doorknob, when I thought of something. I turned around and walked up Rose's staircase.

I had another mental argument with myself.

Should I do this? Is this weird?

_Of course not! Just simply knock on the door and ask if she's ok!_

But-but, this is just _weird_, isn't it?

_No, no, no, just do it! Look, you're already in front of the door._

I can't do it.

_Yes you can._

No, I can't.

_Yes. _

No!

_ Yes!_

NO!

I rapped twice on the door. No answer. I knocked again.

"Rose?" I said. "Are you ok?" Not thinking (I seem to be finding a pattern here), I turned the door handle and swung the door open.

Rose's room smelled (ironically) like roses. Her walls had gold and red stripes on them. She had clothes strewn across the floor, and her suitcase was half way full. Her room was the exact opposite of mine, so like her bathroom was on right wall, instead of being on the left. Her bulletin board already had different letters and other meaningless pieces of parchment tacked up on it. Her bedspread was red, with her initials embroidered in gold on it. I felt a siren going off in the back of my head. It was blaring: _Hey dude! You're invading privacy here! _I ignored it.

"Rose?" I said. Silence. Great. I was really hoping she was here… I deeply inhaled the fragrant smell of her room and walked out, shutting the door behind me. Ok, now I'm starting to worry. Will she show up in time for patrols? Did something happen to her? Honestly, it's the second day of school, what could have _possibly _happened to her? My feet seemed to move by themselves as I walked to the Slytherin Common Room. The man in the portrait looked at me curiously when I said, "Let me in." I showed him my Head Boy Badge and he nodded, swinging open. I knew the password, but I just couldn't think of it at the moment... I found all three of my friends—and Charlotte—sitting on the couches. I walked in and plopped down on the couch next to Charlotte. Charlotte and Dale were playing a game of Wizard Chess. She looked up and gave me a crooked smile, and then rested her chin on her hand, her elbow on her knee.

"What up, Scorp?" Alex said. Alex was sitting next to Dale, and Lee was sitting on the other side of Charlotte. "Ooh, Dale, it's three against two."

"Shut up!" He said. "I'm trying to concentrate!"

"Dale," Charlotte said, eying him with amusement. "You know it's your turn, right?"

"Yes! Yes I do!" Dale examined the board for another ten seconds. "Aha! Knight to D5!"

"Woah," Alex said. "Déjà vu."

Dale punched his shoulder. "God, Alex. That happened over two years ago. You've got a good memory." Alex shrugged. He sat on top of the back rest of the couch.

Dale's knight slid across the board.

Charlotte grinned wickedly. "Queen to H7. Checkmate."

Dale groaned and slammed his head on the table. I winced. Ooh, that probably hurt.

"I—stink—at this horrid game." Dale moaned.

Lee patted him on the back with fake sympathy. "There, there, Dale. You just have really, really, _really, _bad luck when it comes to this game."

"Shut up." Dale grunted, as he sat back up. Charlotte giggled and went over to Dale, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"You guys plan on getting married soon?" Lee said, yawning as he reclined on the couch.

Charlotte rolled her eyes and Dale gave him a murderous look.

"Speaking of getting married," Alex said suspiciously, turning to me. "Why aren't you snogging _Rose?" _ Charlotte looked at me, and her eyes flashed with an emotion that was hard to read.

"What the bloody hell Alex?" I nearly shouted. "I'm _not _dating Rose, we're simply friends! I thought you liked her anyway!"

Now it was Alex's turn to give me the death stare. His face clearly said, _not anymore. _

"Well who then?" Lee said.

His eyes flicked to Charlotte and then back to me. I suddenly understood.

_"Anyway," _I continued, giving Alex a suspicious look. "I can't find her."

"What do you mean?" Dale said.

"She's gone. I had a picnic with her on the grounds-"

All the guys said in unison, "Ooh!"

"Oh shut up you morons!" I fumed. "I had a picnic with her on the grounds, and then I didn't see her in Transfiguration or Charms!"

Charlotte gripped Dale's arm. "Oh, I'm sure she's fine." She said.

"She wasn't in her dormitory." I stated. I hesitated before I said the next words. "Do _you _know where she is?"

She gave me that bitchy death look.

"You think _I _did something to her?" Charlotte replied haughtily.

"No! It's just…" Ok. I'm starting to have my doubts about Charlotte now. You wouldn't happen to know where she was, would you? No. I'm talking to an invisible audience.

"Well mate, I don't think you should worry about her." Alex said. "She's a tough cookie. Besides, if anything was seriously wrong, her whole family would be slamming you into the wall, grilling you with questions."

We all laughed, and even though it was funny, I went over to him and pushed him off the couch. He landed on his back with a _thud. _

"Well that hurt." Alex moaned as he got up.

The clock chimed seven, and we all walked down to the Great Hall. I secretly was looking around frantically as we went, hoping to find a mound of red curls. We got there, and they all were blabbing about nonsense as I searched for the Gryffindor table through all the people. I spotted Lily, and she was talking to her friends with a worried look on her face. She looked up and saw me staring at her. She glared at me and mouthed, _You're dead. _I swallowed the food I had in my mouth and looked away quickly. I need to find her. And fast, otherwise there'll be fifty wands pointed at me, all their owners wanting to shoot me with _Avada Kedavra. _But I don't even know where to start! It's not like she could've just wandered off and got lost! I don't think I've ever stressed about her this much before… Time seemed to fly, which was a good thing, and soon enough dinner was over. I rushed back to the Heads' Dormitory, finding it as silent as ever. I sat down on my bed and Harold flew in, a dead rat hanging from his mouth.

"Harold," I muttered. He perched on his cage. I went over to him and he dropped the rat on the floor. I shook my head, picked it up, and threw it out the window. Harold looked aghast that I had just thrown out his prize.

"Harold, I'd appreciate it if you left the rats outside." I told him. He blinked, which he rarely does. I stroked his head with my index and middle finger, gave him a treat, and then he flew out the window again. His hooting echoed in the night. Oh dang. I just noticed that I left my robes outside.

_"Accio Robes!" _I said. The door opened and my robes plopped down on my feet. I picked them up and put them on. I walked downstairs, looking hopefully up at Rose's closed door. I thought, _don't worry Rose. I'm coming to find you. _I opened the door and stepped into the cool hallway.

* * *

**A.N: Ooh! Rose is missing... There's going to be an _interesting _next chapter... Sorry if the end seemed kind of pointless. This chapter was a lot of Scorpius' thoughts, so I hope some of you are satisfied with the peek into his mind. He really is stressing about her a lot, so I hope this reaveals some of his feelings for her. ;) Alex likes Charlotte now?! Oh no, that won't do. Dale's dating her, hon. -rolls eyes- Lawl.**

**-Jayna**


	9. Second Floor, Fifth Door on the Left

Chapter Nine: Second Floor, Fifth Door on the Left

* * *

**A.N: Hey, if you're a sensitive reader (not trying to embarrass anyone), I'm going to have you skip this part. Keep scrolling 'til you see another bolded author's note.**

* * *

I walked down the hallway glumly, checking each classroom, finding most of them empty. Once or twice I found a wandering person or couple, and I gave them detentions. They gave me those puppy eyes, but my expression remained stony. I had no mercy. I only had one mission tonight: find Rose. I was moping down the second corridor, stupidly saying, "Is anyone there?" when I opened the door to a classroom. I had just closed a door and resealed it with, _"Colloportus!" _I sighed and my breath made a puff of fog. I trudged the ten feet across the hall, and suddenly, a buzzing noise filled my ears. I knew that could be the effect of only one spell: _Muffliato. _I looked at the bottom of the door, and a light flashed from under it. My heart started to pound, and I could hear my blood pulsing in my ears.

_"Expecto Patronum!" _I thought. A wispy scorpion about a foot long came out of my wand. "Professor McGonagall," I thought. "Come as quick as you can to the second floor, fifth door on the left, if you're facing south. Bring Rose Weasley's family as well. I think I found her." I waved my wand and the scorpion scuttled down the hallway. I tapped my wand on my head, and it felt as if an egg was being broken over my head. Suddenly, my arm disappeared. This I was glad for, because this meant that my Disillusionment Charm worked. I opened the door, slipped inside, and then shut it behind me.

I'll try to describe the scene without hyperventilating. Rose's wrists were bound together with rope behind her back. Her hair had blood in it (which was odd that I noticed, seeing how her hair is red), and her robes were cut and torn. She was kneeling on the floor with her head slumped forward, and I wondered if she was conscious. Guess who else was there? Flipping. Tracy. And her two cronies. One was yawning in the corner while she kept the room illuminated by her wand. Tracy stood across from Rose with a murderous look in her eyes. Tracy's other minion stood in the other corner across from the other girl, checking her watch every so often.

"Please," Rose whispered. She looked up, and I saw gashes and tears on her face. "Please stop. Please-"

"NO!" Tracy shouted. "You will _learn _to suffer for your wrongdoings, Weasley!"

"What have I done wrong?" Rose said. I could tell that she was weak and needed help, but I was frozen in shock to do anything. "I haven't done-"

_"Sectumsempra!" _Tracy shouted, her wand pointed at Rose.

Rose threw her head back and shrieked in agony, more cuts appearing on her body. I was breathing heavily, and my mind was telling me to help, but I couldn't move. Rose's blood was all over the floor, and I hoped that my reinforcements were coming.

"Please!" Rose said louder. "Please stop!"

"Weasley!" Tracy said sharply. "Scorpius. Is. _Mine. _You will stay away from him!"

"I promise I'll stay away from him!" Rose cried. "Anything to get you to stop!"

"But I need bloodshed first." Tracy said evilly. "You need to know how you will be punished for going _near _Scorpius." Tracy smirked. _"Crucio!"_

Rose screamed again, this time falling on the floor and writhing in pain.

I couldn't believe this was happening to her…because of _me. _Besides, I didn't even _like _Rose! How could Tracy be so sure of herself?

_"Crucio!" _Tracy chanted again, seeming to get pleasure from her torture. "_Crucio!"_

Rose screamed louder, and I was surprised that Muffliato Charm was holding.

_"Cruci-" _The door barged open, and there stood Lily, along with Professor McGonagall. (I thought I told her to bring her whole family!) I waved my wand and my invisibility ceased. Tracy gaped at me with rage.

* * *

**A.N: 'Kay! You can stop scrolling! It wasn't that much, but you know... If you feel like going back and reading it later, then go ahead.**

* * *

_"Scorpius?" _Tracy said. She gave us a weak smile. "Please, Professor, I can explain-"

"TRACY ZABINI!" Professor McGonagall yelled.

I went over to Rose and helped her up. I pointed my wand at the ropes binding her wrists and thought, _"Relashio!" _The ropes easily slid off her wrists. I went to walk back to Professor McGonagall, but Rose gripped my hand weakly and collapsed into my arms. I helped her limp over.

"Thank you," Rose whispered into my ear.

_"Never," _Professor McGonagall fumed. "Never have I seen this type of _despicable _behavior before!"

"Professor-" Tracy attempted to speak.

"SILENCE!" Professor McGonagall shouted over her.

Lily rushed to Rose's side and hugged her, making her groan in pain. Lily sheepishly let go and brushed the hair out of her eyes, telling her comforting words.

"Tracy Zabini," Professor McGonagall repeated. "You will be sent to Azkaban immediately-"

"_What?!" _Tracy shrieked.

"Hey," Rose said, clearing her throat. "They're not called Unforgivable Curses for nothing."

Even in such a serious situation, Rose was still strong…and a smartass.

"Agreed, Ms. Weasley," Professor McGonagall said, trying not to smile. "I will have the Minister come to claim you and have you put on trial _immediately." _

"But my parents will kill me!" Tracy complained.

"Good. Because you're going to die either way." Rose muttered.

Wow, she is on _fire _today!

"Please take Ms. Weasley to the Hospital Wing, Scorpius." Professor McGonagall said.

Lily looked aghast. "Why does _he _get to take her? I'm family!"

"You can go with, Miss Ev-" Professor McGonagall caught herself with a pained look. "I mean Potter. You may go now."

Apparently Harry Potter's mom's name was Lily Evans. I nodded curtly, bent down, and picked Rose up like she was a baby. Lily and I left, Professor McGonagall still shouting at Tracy.

"Why did you tell me I was dead at dinner?" I asked her when we rounded a corner.

Lily looked at me with sadness in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I just thought… Well you know. I thought you did something to her. No offense." She added when she saw my face. "I just thought… I thought… I thought you didn't change your ways." Her face looked solemn now. "I had my doubts. Just how you _boom!" _She snapped her fingers._ "_Changed just like that."

"Well you shouldn't doubt me anymore." I said. "I was stinking worried about her the whole day."

Lily's eyes lit up with surprise. "Really?"

"Heck yeah," I replied. "Took me a whole forty-five minutes to take a test."

Lily snorted. "Wow." Lily pushed open the door to the Hospital Wing. I walked in and immediately, Madam Pomfrey rushed over to us and started fussing over what happened to Rose.

"Dear oh dear," she muttered. "I'll need Dittany, and…" Madam Pomfrey went into her office and started shuffling papers and bottles around.

I laid Rose carefully on one of the beds.

"Where am I?" She mumbled softly.

"Shh," I said. "You're in the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey is going to help you. Your family should be here in a bit."

"My family?" She said, dazed.

"Yes. Now shush."

Madam Pomfrey rushed over with bottles in her arms.

"Shoo! Shoo!" she said, breathing heavily. She waved her hands at us. "I need to clean her wounds and get her changed! Go stand over there or something!" She pushed me and Lily over to the door and drew the curtain around Rose's bed.

"Well um," Lily said awkwardly. "Thanks for, uh, you know. Finding her."

"Yeah," I said. "Sure." I almost said "No problem," but yes, this was a problem.

A couple minutes later, Madam Pomfrey slid the curtain back, and went back to her office with the bottles. Rose was tucked in bed, several parts of her body bandaged, wearing a red, silk nightgown. Lily and I went over to her. We drew up chairs, and we sat on either side of her. As soon as we sat down, the door banged open and Rose's family (yes, her _entire _family. Well, along with Professor McGonagall and some of Rose's friends) flooded in. They were all talking worriedly. Rose's mum, dad, and Hugo came forward first. Mrs. Weasley was gripping Mr. Weasley's arm as they walked over. I stood up and I let Mrs. Weasley sit in the chair. Not letting go of Mr. Weasley's arm, she took Rose's hand and started sobbing.

Hugo sat at the end of her bed, muttering, "Rose, Rose."

The rest of her family just seemed to notice I was here.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" James Potter shouted.

"Listen-" I started.

"NO! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!" James yelled at me.

Madam Pomfrey suddenly popped (not literally) out of nowhere. "Mr. Potter! You must not shout! Or else I must make you leave!"

James went up to me and grabbed my shirt, shaking me. "WHY IF I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, I SWEAR-"

"Please, James." Mrs. Weasley said weakly. "Let the boy go."

Reluctantly, he let go of my shirt. "What did you do to her?!" He said more forcefully.

"I didn't do anything!" I argued. "It was all Tracy Zabini!"

"You're friends with her!" James countered.

"I am not! I _swear _I didn't do anything!"

James' eye twitched. "I can't believe you."

"Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall said. "He is telling the truth. Tracy Zabini was responsible for this. She is being ratted out by her parents and will be put on trial-for using the Cruciatus Curse-as soon as the minister gets here."

James turned pale when Professor McGonagall mentioned the Cruciatus Curse, but he still glared at me. "Fine."

"W-When will she be ok?" Lily asked Madam Pomfrey.

"Maybe a couple of days." She replied. "But then she'll be right back on her feet again."

Victorie stepped forward, her blonde, silky Veela hair sparkling. "I honestly do not trust zis boy." Victorie nodded her head toward me. "He es a Malfoy."

"Hey!" I said defiantly. "Don't hate on my parents!"

"How can we trust 'ou? I do not zink zat he es our friend."

"Honestly, do all of you think I'm a big, fat meanie?"

Some of them muttered and nodded their heads.

I groaned, and I briefly explained what happened last night. Funny, it doesn't seem like that happened one night ago. Almost like we've been friends for ages.

Victorie rolled her eyes, not wanting to admit that I _am _Rose's friend. She exhaled out of her nostrils, almost like a light snort, and tossed her hair angrily over her shoulder. Suddenly, Rose moaned. Her eyes fluttered open.

"Hey guys." Rose muttered.

"Rosie!" Rachel pushed her glasses up her nose and went over to her bed. "How you feeling?"

"Like a load of dung." Rose said nonchalantly.

Rachel leaned down and gave her a hug.

After 10 minutes of hugging and crying and kissing, Hugo finally spoke up.

"So," he said. "Do you want to tell us what happened?"

Rose cleared her throat, and started from the beginning.

After I had stormed off from the picnic (this received many gasps and a glare from James, Victorie, Rachel, and Lily), she yelled at Lorcan and went back inside (my heart seemed to beat faster). She was just about to turn into the Gryffindor Common Room, when someone slapped a hand over her mouth and dragged her to the classroom on the second floor.

"That was probably Tracy." I said. Rose nodded.

Tracy had bound her wrists behind her back and taken her wand. She locked the door and left, leaving her sitting there all afternoon. Sometime around six, she had come back and started the torture. That means she had been there for almost two hours when I came and saved her (yes, she used those words).

Everyone was silent for a while.

"That banshee." Rachel said loudly, making Rose give a weak laugh.

"Gosh it got boring there." Rose said. "I was there _all _afternoon…"

"Speaking of which," Mrs. Weasley said. "You probably haven't eaten."

Right on cue, Rose's stomach growled loudly. Madam Pomfrey brought over a tray of food, and Rose started pigging out, but slowly.

"Now all of you out!" Madam Pomfrey said. "She needs rest! Don't forget, she's only allowed _seven visitors at a time." _She made sure to stress "seven visitors at a time."

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley gave their daughter one last hug and kiss, and then left. James gave me a stern glare, said goodbye to Rose, and left as well. It took more than two minutes to empty the room, so that Lily and I were the only ones left.

Lily looked at me and blinked. I thought she was going to punch me for a second, but then she did something even more surprising: she kissed me on the cheek and hugged me.

"Thank you," she sobbed into my ear. She let go and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'll see you tomorrow, Rosie."

"Goodnight, Lily." Rose said, her voice sounding exhausted. Before I knew it, Rose fell asleep.

"Goodnight Rose." Lily sighed. Lily walked out of the room.

I knew I should go to bed, but I didn't even know what I was doing. I went over to her bed, my legs having a mind of their own, and sat down on the chair next to her bed. I took her freezing hand in mine, and she shuddered. She was so…_beautiful. _There. I said it. Madam Pomfrey had turned out the lights a while ago, and in the moonlight, Rose looked so peaceful, laying there and snoring softly. My eyelids started to droop, and just like that, I was out like a light.

* * *

I was sitting on a cloud, staring up into the sky. There was an image: I was on the Hogwarts Express, taunting Rose. There was no sound, but I could see my pleasure and her rage. The image changed, and there I was again, shouting at her on the grounds of Hogwarts. I suddenly noticed my hand was holding something. I looked at my hand, and my fingers were laced together with someone else's. I looked over. It was Rose. She was staring up at the sky, looking at the image too.

"We were so stupid then, weren't we?" She said. Her voice was so calm, and it broke the silence.

"Yeah," I said, my voice controlling itself.

"It's a pity that we were blinded by our House prejudices." She said, and her voice was so elegant that I could imagine her in a pretty dress, having a tea party or something. Well, if she _would _have a tea party, and if it was possible to imagine something inside a dream. … No. That's just weird.

"My dad…" I forced myself to say. She seemed to get the point. She looked at me, and her blue eyes seemed brighter and happier than normal.

"You know…" She scooted closer to me, if that was possible, for we were already sitting side by side. "Our friendship can start now."

"Or something more." Again, my voice was controlling itself; otherwise I _never _would have said that. Got it? _Ne-ver._

We leaned in, and just as we were about to kiss, a quiet voice said, "Scorpius…"

My eyes snapped open. God that was a weird dream. I found myself staring at Rose's face, tired, but she seemed better. My head was resting on her stomach, and she was still holding my hand. Her free hand was stroking my head. Somehow, I had fallen over, and my face landed on her stomach. I was still sitting in my chair. Oh gosh, I hope my face plant into her abdomen didn't wake her up. I sat up, my face getting warm.

"Uh, sorry." I said, my hand instinctively going up to my head, and scratching the back of it. Wait, was she stroking my head?!

"It's fine." She said softly.

"D-Did I wake you up?" Suddenly, being with her alone was making me uncomfortable. Was it because of that dream?

"No. I woke up as soon as you started snoring." The back of my neck grew hot.

"W-Were you seriously just stroking my head?" It was hard to tell in the moonlight, but I think she was blushing now.

"Oh, um…" She didn't finish her sentence. That's ok, I'm not sure I want to hear the rest.

"What were you dreaming about?" She asked curiously. Oh god. "You were mumbling in your sleep." Oh _dang! _What am I supposed to tell her?

"I was dreaming about you." I blurted. "What was I saying?"

"My name." Silence followed her statement.

"What time is it?"

"Twelve 'o' clock."

"Um, well I guess I should be going to bed."

"Yeah."

"Well goodnight."

"'Night."

Then I did something that surprised her probably as much as it did me. I stood up, took one last glance at her face, then bent down and kissed her forehead. I stood back up and left before I could see her reaction.*

The lady in the portrait that led to the Heads' Dormitory looked kind of pissed at me for waking her up. But nevertheless, she swung open. I trudged up my staircase, feeling my eyes sag. I didn't even bother to change. I threw off my robes and flopped on my bed, instantly passing out (just a figure of speech).

* * *

**A.N: Tee hee! Even with the suspense an' all that, I had fun writing this chapter! I'm starting to hint at some of Scorpius' attraction to Rose here. I can't wait to write-you know what? I'm not gonna tell you! HA!**

***Even me being the writer, I mentally "SQUEEEEE!"d**

**Hope you guys liked it! Review?**

**-Jayna**


	10. Visiting

Chapter Ten: Visiting

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**A.N: This rather _special _chapter is dedicated to my BFF, and the one who started this all, musiclover545446. She's the one who got me started writing Fan Fiction, _and _the one who got me to post this in the first place. Thanks for supporting me from the beginning! :)**

* * *

The next morning, I woke up to myself suffocating under my bed sheets. I struggled to get up and gasped for air, tossing everything on my bed over and onto the floor. I lay sprawled out on my bed for a couple moments, then sat up to look at my clock. It read: 8:40 AM. Why do I keep waking up before my alarm? I shut the alarm off and scratched my head vigorously with both hands, making my hair even messier. I yawned and went to the bathroom to get ready. All throughout my preparations for the day, I tried to remember what had happened last night. I don't even remember getting in bed. _Oh, _I thought, suddenly my entire body drooping. _Rose was in the hospital wing. _Why? _Because Tracy tortured her. _Oh yeah. There goes the _ding _of the light bulb inside my head. I dug around my trunk for my schedule and things, and then set off to Transfiguration. I wasn't surprised to see her seat vacant, for she was probably still resting in the hospital wing. Tracy's attack on Rose was pretty gruesome, and with such a petty reason. I mean, I always knew Tracy liked me, but I didn't think that she would go _that far _to get other girls away… Well apparently she would…

* * *

_Dang, _I am having the _worst _first week, aren't I? Professor McGonagall yelled at me twice for not paying attention. _Twice. _She threatened me with a detention, and then I snapped back to my senses. I supposed I would do the gentlemanly thing, and I collected an extra worksheet for Rose after class. I ran into several people on my way back to the Heads' Dormitory. I was pretty much in La La Land. I was completely unaware of what I was doing, and my legs were moving by themselves, which I was glad for, otherwise I would've been stampeded by all of those mad cows trampling through the hallways. The next thing I know, I was seated on a stool in the Potions classroom next to Dale and Charlotte.

"Hey," Charlotte said, waving in front of my face.

I shook my head and blinked. I looked around. _How the heck did I get here? _

Charlotte sighed, leaning on her elbow, resting her chin on her hand. "I've been like, saying your name and waving in front of your face for like, five minutes. You zoned out."

"Yeah, I know," I replied nonchalantly. "I've been doing that a lot lately."

"I thought Potions was your favorite subject."

"It is."

"Would you two shut up?" Dale said angrily, his hair all messed up. "I'm trying to listen to Professor Grayton and take notes, but I can't hear him!" He scratched away on a piece of parchment with his quill.

Charlotte scrunched up her face and stuck out her tongue at Dale, but he didn't notice. Charlotte rolled her eyes, gave me a small smile and a shrug, and then turned her attention to Professor Grayton. I took out a piece of parchment and a quill too, and started to listen to what Professor Grayton was saying. I heard him, but I wasn't _listening, _and I stared at my quill, lost in my own thoughts.

* * *

Again, after class I got an extra worksheet for Rose. I'm honestly not sure what the assignment was, but I guess I could figure it out later. All throughout the day, I collected homework for Rose. After the day was over, I went back to the Heads' Dormitory. I had dumped all of my stuff on the floor, and sorted everything out, mine from Rose's. I'm now going through Rose's stuff again, looking for her textbooks. I had finally found the last one, _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_. I stood back up, stretching my back and hearing it crack. I picked up the several books on the floor, slapped the pieces of parchment and worksheets on top, and left. As I walked through the cold hallways, I wondered what had become of me. I mean, _really, _only a couple days ago, Rose and I had been the worst enemies, and it was like a one to a million ratio that we would become friends. But yet, here I am, rounding up her homework and worrying about her like we've been friends for years. People pushed past me on their way to the Great Hall for dinner. I had finally made it to the hospital wing, and managed to get my foot up and turn the door knob. The door flew open, and I trudged over to Rose's bed, my arms feeling pretty much dislocated from the weight of her books. Rose was sleeping soundly on the bed, her face smashed into the pillow and her arms hanging off the bed. I plopped the books on the table, making a loud _thump_. The sound jolted her awake and she sat up in bed.

"Spaghetti and meatballs!" She yelled.

I smiled and rolled my eyes. Rose turned her head to where the sound came from. When she saw me, she instantly turned red (ha ha, pun. Get it? Rose turned red?).

"Oh," she said, trying to comb her hair with her fingers. "Hey, Scorpius." A shiver ran down my spine when she said my name. "Sorry, I probably look like a rat's nested in my hair."

I snorted. "Nah, you look golden."

She gave me a half-smile. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be going to the Great Hall?"

"Yeah, but I got your homework for you." I gestured toward the pile of books and parchment on the table.

"Oh, thanks."

I sat down next to her on the bed. "You know, you never answered my question."

She tilted her head a little to the left. "What do you mean?"

"Remember our little Question and Answer on the grounds?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Well you never answered my question. Lorcan barge-interrupted us."

Rose scrunched up her face. "Oh yeah. What was your question?"

I leaned in and lowered my voice. "Why do you date Lorcan if you like me?"

Rose closed her eyes and sighed. "Do you want me to tell you the complicated version or the short version?"

"Short," I said quickly. I opened my mouth to say something else, but I stopped. When Rose had opened her eyes, I noticed how stunningly blue they were… I noticed the way her hair naturally curled, making messy spirals. Even in an ugly nightgown she looked… Well, beautiful. Then a thought pierced my brain, the realization hitting me like a dagger. _The potion _wasn't _lying. _Of course a potion doesn't _lie. _Besides, that happened years ago-BUT…! I… I _do _have an attraction to Rose… How did I not notice her this way before? Why is this hitting me as a surprise though…? Merlin's _pants _she's pretty…

I must have been making some weird face, because Rose cleared her throat and said, "Scorpius? Are you ok?"

"My gosh…" I whispered, staring into her eyes. I just noticed that I was still leaning in. I drew back rather fast, and I fell off the bed, hitting my head on the table.

"Scorpius!" Rose shrieked. She leaned over the bed. "Are you ok?!"

I got up, dusted myself off, and rubbed the back of my head. "Yeah."

"What's the matter with you? First, you look at me like someone shoved dung under your nose, and then you fall of the bed!"

"I-Well," I stammered. "I just noticed-erm, that you-" She looked at me with those blue eyes, full of concern.

"I?" She prompted.

"I noticed that you have nice hair." I blurted.

Rose went red again and looked away.

"No wonder Lorcan dates you…" I mumbled.

"What?" Rose snaps her head back to me. Something tells me that she _did _hear me.

"Nothing." I say. I sit next to her again. "Ok, answer this question instead: do you-"

Someone walks in and I stop. Of course, it _has _to be Lorcan.

"Hey, R-" he starts. As soon as he sees me, his expression turns dark. "Oh. _Scorpius. _What are you doing here?"

"Lorcan!" Rose shrieks. "Don't be so rude!"

"That's beside the point!" Lorcan yells. "You know what? I think there's something going on between you two!" He walks up to the bed.

"Lorcan you know that's not true!" Rose tells him. "There's _nothing-" _I wince, but I don't know why. "-between me and Scorpius! Why do you think that?"

"Rose, I've noticed that you and Scorpius are hanging out a lot." Lorcan says. "Even though it's only the beginning of the year."

Rose stares at him.

"See?" Lorcan shouts. "You don't even deny it!"

"Lorcan-"

"No! You know what? I-you," he stutters. "We'll discuss this _later!" _Lorcan stomps out of the room.

Rose groans and puts her face in her hands. I pat her back awkwardly. She sits up abruptly.

"Let's go eat," she says, as if nothing ever happened. "I'm starving." She throws the covers off her and stands up. She grabs a bag that's on the table and goes to the bathroom. A couple minutes later, she comes out, dressed. She and I walk together to the Great Hall.

"If you can like, move and stuff," I say to her. "Why are you still in the hospital wing? I mean, how _can _you move? You were only there for a day."

Rose shrugs. "Well Madam Pomfrey is good with all that medicine rubbish. But she's _too_ overprotective. She thinks I need more rest."

"You sure were put through a lot though," I point out.

She shrugs again. "Eh,"

We get to the Great Hall, and she gives me a smile and waves goodbye before skipping off to the Gryffindor table. I watch her go, put my hands in my pockets, and then walk to the Slytherin table.

"Yo, Scorpius!" Alex says when I get there.

"Hey, Alex," I reply, sitting next to him.

"What's up with you 'n Weasley?" Lee asks me in a low voice. "Why'd you walk here with her? We were waiting for you in the Common Room."

"Oh, well," I say, trying to sound casual. "I was visiting with her. Oh, and I gave her the homework and stuff." I added quickly.

Lee looks at me suspiciously, and strikes up a conversation with Dale, who has his arm around Charlotte.

"Hi Scorpius!" Charlotte says, noticing me.

"Hi, Charlotte." I say nonchalantly.

Food appears on the plates, and I stuff my face before anyone can ask me anything.

"Did you not eat anything today?" Charlotte asks me, watching me devour everything.

I shrug and then shove a forkful of mashed potatoes in my mouth. To be honest, I don't even _remember _eating lunch…

"So really," Lee asks me again. "Why were you with Rose?"

Charlotte's face darkens and she looks away. _Weird… _

"I told you," I tell Lee angrily. "I was visiting and giving her the homework. There's _nothing _going on. Why do I have to repeat it?"

"Dude, I just want to make sure you're not getting _too _close with her…"

"My gosh, _why would I?!" _I exclaim, trying to act like I don't. To be honest… After my realization in the hospital wing, there's some sort of hope flickering inside of me… I don't know why… Or do I?

Lee examines me suspiciously. I glare at him. _"What?!" _I shout. I cross my arms. "Now _really_, mate. Do you _honestly _think –I don't know- that I'm going and snogging Rose behind your backs?"

"No," Lee huffs. "It's just _weird, _you being friends with the enemy."

"She's _not _'the enemy,' or an _'enemy'_ at all!" I say furiously. "She's my friend now!"

"You see, that's the problem." Lee said, pointing at me with his fork. "She's _supposed _to be an enemy, now you've gone and made friends with her." He speared a piece of meat and popped it into his mouth.

"What is _wrong _with you today?!" I slam my silverware on the table.

I get up furiously, stomping out of the hall. _Honestly! _Lee is never this persistent! He and the guys weren't _this _angry with my friendship with Rose! I mean, they were a bit surprised, but it's not like they have to go around and beat me up over it! I was so busy with my thoughts and trying to make known that I was angry, that I didn't notice I had run into someone until I was on the floor.

"Sorry," I muttered.

"Eet ees ok," a girl's voice said.

I looked up, and I noticed that I had run into none other than Rose's cousin, Veela Victorie. Ha, I just came up with that.

"Victorie?" I said. I said it to myself, rather than her. She put out her hand and helped me up.

"Ve need to talk." She said.

She cleared her throat, and suddenly, her thick French accent was gone. Apparently she can turn it on and off. She now spoke normally. If any of "yal Americans" are out there, she's speaking in a "British accent."

"If you're going to be friends with Rose, we need to lay down some rules."

I didn't see why she should be bossing me around, even though she's only months younger than me.

"First," Victorie started. "If you _ever, _hurt her in any way again, you'll have to answer to me."

I looked down. "Funny, that's what one of Rose's friends said too." I mumbled.

She put her fingers under my chin and pushed it up. "Keep your chin up. I can't hear you. Tell me what you said."

I stared at her.

She rolled her eyes, as if to say, "Fine." "Second, if this friendship turns into anything more-"

"It _won't." _I said harshly. "We're just friends."

Victorie looked at me suspiciously. "Well _if _it turns into anything more, there will be _no _snogging each other senseless in public."

"Ok, whatever. That won't happen because nothing 'more' is going to happen. _A simple friendship, _that's all it is. Why do all of you guys all the sudden think we're dating?"

Victorie flipped her hair over her shoulder haughtily. "Just laying some rules." She turned around and took a couple steps forward, and then stopped. She looked over her shoulder and said, "Oh, and Scorpius?"

"Yes?"

She came back over and kissed my forehead. "Thank 'ou for saving my Rosie." She switched back to French. She gave me a half-smile. "I am sorry I doubted 'ou." She quickly turned around and left, the nearest boys gawking after her.

I shoved my hands in my pockets and continued walking. I had only gone a few feet when Rose ran up by my side. I felt the breeze from her motion.

"Hey!" She said cheerfully. Then she held up a finger and belched. "'Scuse me. Nice dinner, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," I said, laughing.

"What did Victorie want? She wasn't giving you a hard time, was she?"

"Nah. Wanted to 'lay down some rules,'" I said, mimicking her French accent.

Rose rolled her eyes. "That Victorie," she muttered.

Silence followed as we kept walking.

"Well Madam Pomfrey's probably freaking out that I left bed." Rose said. "So I guess I'm going back to the hospital wing."

"'Kay."

"See you later."

"Yeah."

"Thanks for getting me the homework."

"Mhmm…"

Rose looked at me for a minute, kissed me on the cheek, and then ran off down the hallway.

I felt the place where she kissed me burning, and I walked back to the Heads' Dormitory, dazed.

* * *

**A.N: YESSSS, he finally _gets _it! *singing* He loves her, he loves her! (^-^) I was soo excited to _finally _see him obsessing over her. Well, in that way. Sorry if his thoughts about her seemed rather brief, but I _PROMISE _that this isn't the end of it. More dramatic stuff is going to happen in the next chapter. ;) I apologize again if this chapter seemed short. It's about 2700 words. :/**

**Victorie is another one of Rose's cousins/relatives that is protective of her, but overall, Lily cares about her the most. Not more than her own parents, but you get the picture.**

**Sorry if this took a while... I'm having big dreams right now, and I've already started a sequel to this. I want to post the first chapter, but... ANYWAY, gee, you're awesome if you bothered to read this all. Thanks!**

**-Jayna**


	11. I Face the Wrath of Pretty Boy Lorcan

Chapter Eleven: I Face the Wrath of Pretty Boy Lorcan

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It's Thursday, right? Yeah. Ok, just making sure. Because I got into a fight, and now I'm a bit woozy. Whoopee. So yeah. I'm walking toward the hospital wing right now. Let's just recap what happened.

* * *

So, I was minding my own business on the grounds. I was working on my homework under a willow tree (not the Whomping Willow. Psh, I'm not _that _stupid) by the lake. I had textbooks laid out everywhere and a piece of parchment on my lap. My back was rested against the tree. Whenever I needed encouragement to go on, I just looked out at the lake, up at the tree, then just in the general area, reminding myself that this is where Rose and I had our picnic. I would sigh to myself, and then keep going. It was a bit chilly out, because it was September (of course) but nevertheless I loved being outside.

Then, I heard footsteps, and I looked up. There was Lorcan, standing over me, glaring.

"Can I help you?" I asked him.

"Don't play dumb," he said harshly. "I _know _what you're trying to do."

I rolled my eyes and sighed. I tucked my piece of parchment in one of the books and closed it, then stood up. I dusted myself off. "What're you playing at Scamander?"

"Malfoy, you know perfectly _well _what you're doing."

"Honestly." I groan. "Just hurry up and explain so I can get back to my homework."

_"You're taking Rose from me!" _He practically shouted.

I had the nerve to start laughing. _Really? _This kid thinks I'm trying to steal Rose from him? _Please. _I may have just noticed that I like her, but it's not like we're snogging behind his back.

"Gosh, Scamander," I laughed. "Is that what you think?"

"Yeah! That _is _what I think!" Lorcan said haughtily. He glared at me. I didn't find this intimidating, because the kid is like three inches shorter than me. "You bastard!" He spat. This wiped the smile off my face.

"Scamander, I think we both know that _you're _the bastard," I say rudely. Of course, that's the one thing I know how to do best. "I'm not doing anything to Rose, so sod off."

"I will not 'sod off!' Rose is my world, and if you take that from me…"

"You die? Well great. I honestly don't give a unicorn's butt. Go ahead and die in a hole for all I care."

"You really want to go there?"

Does this moron _actually _think he sounds dangerous?

"Scamander, you're wasting my time. I have a lot of stuff to get done, so why don't you go away. I'm _not _'taking Rose away,' so there's nothing to worry about."

"As convincing as you sound, I'm not buying it."

"Alright then." Gosh, he is _really _annoying. Did I mention that already? "I don't have to prove anything to you."

"You do if you don't want me to beat you up."

I snort. "Please, you honestly think you can beat me up?"

Lorcan attempts to punch my stomach but I quickly dodge and kick his shin. Lorcan draws his wand and I do the same. He shoots a spell at me but I use _Protego _and it bounces off. It hits Lorcan instead. Cuts appear all over his body, but he doesn't seem fazed. I shoot him with _Incarcerous _but he dodges. Back and forth we duel, me only getting hit occasionally. I've now gotten Lorcan tired and drenched in sweat and blood. I must be getting tired because he shot a spell at me and I felt my skin getting ripped open on my arms and deep cuts appeared.

_"Expelliarmus!" _He shouted. I knew to dodge, but my feet were worn out from standing so long and the spell hit me. I got thrown backward and my wand flew into the air. Lorcan almost caught my wand but he lost his footing and fell. I got up quickly and started to crawl around, my hands skimming through the grass for my wand. I had just found it, when I felt a cold metal slashing my back.

I groaned and spun around, shouting, _"Diffindo!" _It hit Lorcan's leg, and his eyes looked menacing. A red light came out of his wand. It hit my chest and I felt more cuts appearing on my body. _"Flipendo!" _I thought, and the spell hit Lorcan and he flew backward. I got up as quickly as I could and ran over to Lorcan. I kicked his side and he groaned. He started to get up. I suddenly had an idea. He shot a spell at me again but I used _Protego _again. I kept stepping forward toward the lake, and Lorcan unknowingly would keep stepping backward. Ha, idiot. I finally had him a foot away from the lake. I punched him across the face, in the gut, and then pushed him into the lake. _Victory, _I thought giddily. My body ached and the world was spinning.

I trudged back into the castle, heading toward the hospital wing. Right now, I'm walking dizzily through the corridors. A few people are giving me weird looks, and aren't bothering to help me. _Rude. _I blasted the hospital wing door open with my wand and stumbled in.

"What happened to you?!" Rose said worriedly from her bed. She was in normal clothes and a book lay over her lap.

I flopped onto the bed next to hers and moaned, "I'll explain later. Get Madam Pomfrey." I swallowed. My throat was dry.

"Madam Pomfrey!" Rose yelled. "We need some help out here!"

Madam Pomfrey instantly burst from her office and rushed over. She helped me onto the bed and I groaned. She scurried back into her office and came back with bottles in her arms. She set them all on the table by the bed. She tore off my bloody shirt and examined my cuts. Under normal circumstances, I would've been embarrassed, but really, I was too weak to care. You know, with the me being shirtless and Rose watching thing?

Madam Pomfrey unscrewed the lid from one of the bottles, got out a rag, and poured some of the stuff onto the rag. She spread it over my cuts and chest and I gasped in pain.

"Arg," I groaned. "It burns…"

I felt a cold hand grasp my right hand. I looked over and saw Rose standing there. I looked at her hand that was over mine, her thumb rubbing my palm. She squeezed my hand reassuringly and gave me a weak smile. I sighed. I was glad to know that she was there. I wanted to shove Madam Pomfrey off and kiss her, but you know. That would be a bad idea. The whole reason I'm in this mess is because of stuff like that. I was so busy looking at her, that I didn't notice that Madam Pomfrey had stopped dabbing at my wounds.

"Turn to your stomach," she said.

I let go of Rose's hand and flopped over onto my stomach. Rose gasped. I heard Madam Pomfrey tutting.

"S-Scorpius…" Rose said. I could hear her breathing heavily. I felt one of her cold fingers trace the outline of the cut on my back. "Wh-who did this to you?"

I grunted. "Your idiot boyfriend. No offense. He got out a knife and-"

I heard shoes clacking on the floor fast, and then grow fainter.

"So," Madam Pomfrey said, getting another rag out. "This is the work of Lorcan Scamander?"

"Yeah," I replied.

She dumped a cold liquid all over my back and I cringed. She used the rag to spread it around and wipe off the blood.

After a couple more minutes, Madam Pomfrey muttered, "Done."

I flipped back onto my back. I felt the cut on my back starting to close up. This lady knows some _seriously _cool stuff.

"Let me wash and repair your shirt. You're going to have to stay for tonight. Maybe longer." She walked into her office again with my bloody, torn up shirt and the bottles.

When she was out of earshot, I groaned. Great. _Spectacular. _I have to stay here. I laid motionless in bed, staring out the door and into the hallway, watching people walk by. Not much later, Rose came back, looking very red. She came and knelt by my bed. She stared at me for a few seconds, and then wrapped her arms around my neck and started sobbing, and I patted her back. The whole situation is really awkward for me, because- hello? - I'm still shirtless.

"I-I'm so sorry," she cried into my ear. "L-Lorcan is such a jerk. I-I swear I'm breaking up with him…"

"Shh," I whispered to her. "I'm-It's fine. You don't have to." I said awkwardly. "Er, well if you're happy, being with him-"

"No! I-I'm not! He's ruined my life!" She let go of me and looked at me. Her hair was plastered to her face from the tears.

I felt my heart beat faster. "Well-erm," I said stupidly. "If-do you want to tell me? Er, well do you want to talk about it?" I don't know what made me say that.

She sniffed and wiped her face with the sleeve of her shirt. "Later. It's complicated."

She brushed my hair off my sweaty forehead. She gave me a weak smile and said, "I guess it's your turn to be the sick one."

"Yeah," I said vaguely. I was aware of how close our faces were, and that even when she was crying she was beautiful… Now the urge to kiss her was even stronger, especially that we were alone… The same question is back again: if she doesn't love Lorcan, then _why the bloody hell is she with him?! _

Rose looked at me for a few second, and then kissed my cheek. I felt the place where she kissed me burning. She stood up and yelled at Madam Pomfrey's office door, "Can I leave? I feel ok and not dizzy anymore."

Madam Pomfrey said from her office, "Yes dear! Please stay well! And drink lots of water!"

Rose gathered up all of her books and whatever was hers and left. Oi, I must be going insane. You want to know why? Because I just felt my spirits drop about a foot. I guess I wanted her to stay here with me… _Shut up, _my brain told me. _Honestly, Scorpius. She'll probably visit you tomorrow. _Yeah… Tomorrow… The next thing I know, I'm asleep.

* * *

I'm staring up into the sky, the blueness stretching all the way to the horizon. The sun is hotly shining, but I'm in the shade of a large willow tree. I recognize it as the same one Rose and I had our picnic under.

"Oh, Scorpius, you're finally awake," a sweet voice says.

I turn my head toward the sound and I see Rose looking down at me. I notice that my head is in her lap.

"Wait, what?" I say, sitting up. "I was in the hospital wing, and-"

Rose laughs, and it's the most beautiful noise I've ever heard. "Were you, now?"

"Yes. Your boyfriend-"

"What do you mean?" Rose tilts her head a little. _"You're_ my boyfriend." She raises her eyebrow. "Do you mean my _ex-_boyfriend, Lorcan Scamander?"

Woah, _what?! I'm _her boyfriend? Did she just call Lorcan her _ex? _I am in some bizarre world, I tell you. I mean… I guess I like it… Let me repeat that: _I'm _her boyfriend… Isn't that what I wanted?

"Uh, yeah," I say cautiously. "Lorcan and I dueled and I was in the hospital wing."

"Oh, you must've been dreaming about your fight." Rose said. "That happened such a long time ago…"

"Huh?" I say stupidly. "What year is this?"

Rose laughs again. "2024, why?"

Okay, at least I know I haven't been like… I don't know. I can guess that it's sometime in the spring. It seems so warm out… My fight was in… The month was September. Has it been that long since my fight?

"Uh, no reason. I'm your boyfriend, right?"

"Correct."

"Then I can do this-?"

I lean in and my lips meet hers. She doesn't pull away, and I feel so happy that I finally kissed her. Even if I am dreaming. Or am I not? I am _so _confused. I put my arm out and my hand is on the grass. We stay like that for what feels like hours, but it was probably only minutes. I pull away and look at her. She smiles, eyes gleaming.

"Yes." She replies.

"Awesome," I say stupidly, feeling very giddy indeed.

Rose sighs dreamily and stares at the lake. I lay my head back down on her lap.

"How long have we been-er, a couple?" I ask her.

"Five months and eight days," She replies without hesitation.

Oh wow… She's counting days?!

"It doesn't seem like that long," I say casually.

"Is that good or bad?"

"Eh. Not really either."

We stay silent for a while. I inhale deeply, expecting to smell fresh air, but instead I smell something strawberry like… Is that her?

"Is this considered a date?" I asked her.

"Why not?"

I look up at her. She looks so peaceful and relaxed. I just want to-

"Scorpius!" a girl's voice whispers.

I open my eyes and realize that I'm in the hospital wing. Wait… so that dream _wasn't _real? Oh… Rose? What are you doing here? I close my eyes again. _Go back to sleep._

"Scorpius, are you awake?" she whispers, tapping my arm.

"Mmm…" I groan. Man, I feel sore… Why? Irritated, I say, "Rose, why are you waking me up?"

"Sorry…" She says awkwardly. "I guess I… Never mind. I'll go. See you later."

I hear her get up and I open my eyes. "Wait." I said quickly.

She looks at me. The areas around her eyes are red, and she looks tired. I can tell she's been crying. She sits back down in the chair that's next to my bed. I reach out and touch her face lightly. She doesn't pull away.

"Have you been crying?" I ask her.

She looks away. "Um, no…"

"Rose, you're my best friend." I said gently. "I know you."

Wait just a bloody second! Speaking of _friends, _where the heck are mine?! I've been laying practically dead in the hospital wing and Rose is the only one who's come to see me! My gosh, if they-

"Well…" Rose said, interrupting my thoughts. "I-um, well I've been a bit confused about my feelings lately." She turns to look at me again. She swallows. "Lorcan-"

At the sound of his name, I sit up abruptly. "What did that bastard do to you? Honestly, Rose, you need to get rid of that guy. He's just a pain to us all."

Rose laughs weakly. "I know. But there's some…complications with that plan."

I narrow my eyes. "Like what? _What _did he do to you?"

"Everything," I think I hear her whisper. She shakes her head and says more loudly, "Nothing. It's not a problem. Er, well I just wanted to say hello. I have a free period right now, so I thought I'd stop by for a visit…"

"Um, thanks," I say stupidly. I look around. "I feel fine. I want to get out of this gross place." I swing my legs over the bed and I notice that (thankfully) I have my shirt on. Apparently I slept in my pants. I scratch my head with both of my hands, messing up my hair. "Have I really been asleep this whole time?" I mutter. I mean really, it's practically lunch time. I turn my head toward Rose. "Did you eat lunch yet?"

"Uh, no." She replies. "There's maybe a couple hours 'til lunch."

"Great," I said. "I thought I slept through it." I look at the table by my bed and see that all of my school books and pieces of parchment are on it. Yes, I thought I left those outside. I go into the bathroom and splash some water on my face. I go back and gather up my books, and Rose helps me carry them back to the Heads' Dormitory. She gives me the rest of them and waits for me while I dump them off in my room and freshen up.

I'm just straightening my tie when I see the picnic basket I was supposed to return to Isa _a couple days ago._ Cursing myself under my breath, I put my robes on. I should probably give the basket back to Isa. I grab it and go downstairs. I suddenly have an idea.

"Do you want to have a do-over picnic?" I ask Rose, shaking the basket in my hand.

* * *

**A.N: Hello! Sorry for absolutely EVERYTHING. I feel like I haven't updated in _so _long. I was on a trip to Florida for eight days over winter break, and blah blah blah. So yeah. Here it is. I also apologize for the length of this one. It seems kind of short... **

**I just have to say, as much as I want Scorpius and Rose to start snogging, I like this part in their relationship. I feel like they're close and that's an important part in their friendship.**

**Thanks for all of the support! :)**

**P.S. I'm going back and looking at the previous chapters... Ha ha, is it wrong to laugh at my own story?**

**I think my writing style is _worse _than what it was before...**

**-Jayna**


	12. Rose's Story

Chapter Twelve: Rose's Story

* * *

**A.N: Two swearwords are said in this chapter. Just advising you. That's probably a dumb thing to warn you about but whatever. -shrug- Nothing like _super _bad.**

* * *

I go up to the picture and tickle the pear. Yes, it _is _a different way from when I went in before. I've discovered a second passage, I'm a genius, ok? The pear starts to giggle, and it turns into a green doorknob. I turn it and step into the kitchen.

Just like always, all the elves are busy working and none of them notice me. Isa comes trudging toward me.

"Hi, Isa!" I said happily.

"Hello, Master Scorpius," she says sadly.

I kneel down on the floor. "What's the matter?"

Isa's lip quivers, and she hesitates before she answers. "M-Master, you did not return the basket to I-Isa. M-Master has forgotten about Isa..."

"Oh, Isa. I didn't forget about you. I was ah- a bit preoccupied that day. And I was in the hospital wing for a while too."

Isa seems to cheer up a bit, knowing that I didn't forget about her. "Is Master ok?"

"Yes I am."

"That is good."

"So you still trust me and everything?"

Isa smiles. "Of course, sir! I will always be here to help you!" Isa bows.

I pat her head and smile back. "So you wouldn't mind doing me another favor…?"

"No sir, not at all!"

"Well… There was kind of an interruption during my hang out with my friend. So anything suitable for a picnic would be awesome."

Isa takes the basket that's in my hand and scurries off. I walk around, examining the kitchen. I notice that there are four tables like in the Great Hall in the middle of the kitchen. I see the brick wall where I usually enter from. No more than a few minutes later, Isa comes back, dragging the picnic basket.

"Here is the picnic, Master!" Isa squeaks.

I pat her head again and take the basket. "Thanks a million, Isa."

"No problem, sir!" Isa gives me a toothy grin.

I nod and walk back through the door I came in. I step into the cool hallway. _It's Friday, _my brain reminds me. _That means you have approximately a half an hour left before the next class starts. And when Rose has to leave… _Well so do I. I'm glad that Rose accepted the do-over. Maybe we'll be more successful this time. I walk down the hallway back to the Heads' Dormitory. Just like last time, Rose opens the door just as I'm about to go in. This time, she's just wearing normal school clothes and her robes.

"Ready to go?" She asks me.

It takes all of my willpower to not say she looks hot (even if she's not wearing anything special; like a dress, nothing weird), but instead I choke out, "Yeah."

She grins and takes my hand. My face and neck start to get hot. We start walking down the hallway.

"Are we going to where we were before?" she asks me.

I said, "Sure, why not."

I push open the front doors and we head toward the willow tree. As soon as my eyes lay on it, my legs turn to jello. _That was where Rose and I kissed in my dream…_

"Are you ok?" Rose says questioningly. "You look sort of pale."

I clear my throat. "Uh, no. I'm fine."

I let go of her hand and scratch the back of my head. I have that sort of nervous habit. I turn my head away and pretend to examine the grounds. Few people are outside. Even though it's just the start of September, it's rather chilly out. I don't care, as long as I'm spending time with Rose. I'm surprised how far our friendship has gone, seeing how we've only been friends for days. We look out for each other. We get to the willow tree and we sit down, leaning our backs against the tree trunk. We unload the basket. This time, there are two sandwiches, a small relish tray (that consisted of broccoli, carrots, celery, and ranch dressing or whatever you dip the stuff in), two bottles of water, napkins, and some grapes.

"Wow, Isa really likes you, doesn't she?" Rose said in awe.

I shrug. "Yeah, I guess. We got off to a rusty start, but she started to like me." I smirk. "Must be my boyish charm."

I got the reaction I was hoping for. She laughed and shoved me playfully.

"Are we gonna eat?" She asks, eying the food hungrily. "I barely ate any breakfast."

I tilt my head a little. "Why?"

She blushes and turns her head away. "Because I was too busy worrying about you…" She mutters.

"Aww, now how sweet is that?" I say jokingly.

She smiles and rolls her eyes. She takes one of the sandwiches and starts to eat it. I take the other one and bite into it. _Mmm… _My brain says. _Turkey… _I put my sandwich on the basket and take my robes off. Is it just me, or is it getting hot out…?

"So what now?" Rose says.

I look at her awkwardly. "Well…"

"Oh my goodness, excuse my manners!" Rose exclaims suddenly. "I never did thank you for saving me from that fiend Tracy, did I?"

"Er," I said stupidly. "You did, but you were um, only partly conscious I guess."

"Well thank you anyway," Rose said, looking at the lake.

Even though I heard her say that before, a warm sensation fills me up and wipes any trace of nervousness or whatever away, leaving only happiness and joy.

"I probably wouldn't be living now if it weren't for you," she sighed, looking back at me.

Her dazzling blue eyes looked into mine. I caught my breath. She was so beautiful, but yet I shouldn't be feeling this way about a new best friend… Who's also dating someone else… Speaking of which-

"Everyone keeps interrupting us," I said. "So I'll ask you again: Why do you date Lorcan if you like me?"

Her eyes lose the sparkle and she looks away, biting her lower lip. She hesitates for a moment, before it all comes pouring out of her.

"I don't love him," she says sadly. "Honest, I don't. It all started when he asked me on a date in third year… Of course I never considered it as a date because I felt compelled to say yes only because of peer pressure." She sighs. "Well anyway, I thought I wasn't going to have a good time, but it turns out, I sort of did. We later went on a second date, and I admit that it was considerably more enjoyable than the first. I was more polite to him the second time, I guess.

"The only problem is, Lorcan thought everything was perfect." She said sadly. "He would always follow me around, and give me flowers and all of that rubbish. I guess you could call him a 'stalker.'" I laughed. She looked at me and gave me a weak smile. "He thought that we were meant to be together, and would always tell me so. I only reluctantly- of course I never _told _him that- agreed to go on with the charade and pretend like I loved him. I only did this to spare his feelings. I couldn't stand to break his heart. I know how much he was attracted to me, and I didn't want to crush him." She looked out at the lake and sighed again, closing her eyes. "But before this… It was your thirteenth birthday. I exploded your face, remember?"

I raised my eyebrow, even though she couldn't see me. What? _She exploded my face?_ Oh, wait… Yes, I remember that… She used the Pimple Jinx on me… Yup, totally remember that now.

"Oh yeah," I said.

"Yeah. So anyway, it was that day. A-and, when you were shouting at me about be 'despicable' and whatever, I-I realized something…" She opened her eyes and looked at me again. "I liked you. I just noticed how handsome you were, a-and you know. That stuff. But later that night after dinner, Lorcan asked me out. And of course, the entire Common Room was staring at us, so I said yes. I told Lily that I started to take a liking to you… She was happy for me, but yet all the same…surprised. She was glad that I had found 'the one,' but she was surprised that…that it was you."

I stared at her. _"The one?" _I'm the one that she truly loves? "Y-You've liked me for _this _long?" I asked in astonishment, my face growing warm.

She nodded and gave me a half-smile. "Since third year."

"Wow…" A thousand different thoughts were swimming in my head. The first one, was probably to lean over and kiss her, but you know.

She sighed. She got a water bottle and drank. She wiped her mouth on the sleeve of her shirt. "All this talking is making me parched."

I could honestly do many things right now. Option 1: kiss her. Option 2: sit there and act stupid. Option 3: don't say anything. Option 4: stuff my face with food. Option 5: tell her that…that I love her back…

"Rose," I say quietly. I feel like my entire face is red, and it probably is. My heart beats faster as she looks at me. "I-I have to tell you something."

"Yes?"

"I-I…" Oh, dang… You know what? I'm not doing option 5. NOPE! Not doing that! I feel like my heart is going to explode if it doesn't start to beat slower. "I really like you. As a friend!" I add quickly, scratching the back of my head. "Er, and I'm glad that we're friends."

She smiles. "I like you too, Scorpius. I'm glad we're friends too."

Gee, smooth move, Scorpius.

That's probably not what she wanted to hear.

I quickly grab a water bottle and take a swig. Gosh, my body temperature probably raised three degrees. She just has that effect on me, ok? I get all nervous and giddy inside and I just want to kiss her. There. I said it. I check my watch. _What?! _It's 1:24 (PM) already?!

"Oh my gosh, Rose," I said, looking at her. "We've only got six minutes to get back in the castle and get to class."

"Damn," she whispers. "Well let's go." Her stomach growls. "Sorry," she says awkwardly. "All I had was that sandwich…"

"We've still got lunch," I say quickly, shoving the stuff we didn't eat into the basket. "We have to get going. _Now." _

As to prove my point, a rain drop hits my face. I look up into the sky, and surprisingly the sky is gray. An _ominous _gray, that is. I grab her hand and we get up and run into the castle, just as it starts pouring. Now really. The last thing I remembered, it was a clear sky. That's a bunch of bologna I tell you.

* * *

Well, Madam Pomfrey found me sitting in Defense Against the Dark Arts. She scolded me for leaving without telling her and embarrassed me in front of the entire class. I explained to her that I felt _fine _and pretty much all of my cuts had healed. It took a while to convince her that I was ok, but she eventually left. Naturally, everyone was grilling me with questions about what happened. I told them long story short: I'd gotten into a fight with Rose's boyfriend.

"Lorcan Scamander?!" "Why Rose's boyfriend?" "Do you like her?" "What did you guys do? Duel?" "Do you like Rose? Huh?" "What spells did you use?" "Did you beat him up?" "Is that true, Rose?"

Rose's face was completely red, and I'm sure mine was too. Professor Swandil ushered everyone away from us. I was sitting in the middle of Alex and Lee. Dale was sitting next to Charlotte, talking to her animatedly about something. Rose had her face in her hands and was sitting next to a confused Rachel. Rachel shot me a death glare. _What?! _Why do all of her friends do that? I'm not bad anymore! I changed my ways since I became friends with Rose. She's a positive influence on me, ok? I shook my head.

"Dude, you got into a fight with Lorcan?" Alex asked me in a hushed tone. Professor Swandil had resumed the lesson and was talking about some type of monster that we all knew about already. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"I was in the bloody hospital wing, if you didn't notice," I fumed. "Why didn't you guys come and _see _me?"

"We didn't know you were gone," Lee shrugged.

"I was _gone _all last night and this morning! How did you not notice?!" I frowned.

"Dude, just calm down," Alex says _way _too laid-back for my liking.

"I thought you guys were my friends!" I say indignantly.

Lee says quickly, "We are, mate. Don't get worked up over it."

How can I _not?! _It doesn't even sound like they care! This is the defect about being an only child. You feel like no one cares about you. If I had a brother or a sister, I could have someone at school that I could confide in. I feel like I haven't gotten an owl from my parents in ages. I need support…

"You know what, I honestly think Rose has been a better friend than you guys," I say angrily.

Alex and Lee's face go dark. "You want to go there?" Alex says menacingly.

"That's a new low," Lee said. "You compare me to Weasley? Ok, that's it."

Lee swipes his stuff off the desk and plops himself on the far side of the table next to ours. Alex shakes his head, crosses his arms, and turns his head away from me.

Awesome. I got a bunch of bitches for friends.

* * *

As soon as Defense Against the Dark Arts is over, I leave. I am so pissed at my friends that I just can't stand it. I hear someone running up to me. I hope they're going to apologize-

"Hey!" Rose says putting a hand on my shoulder. She's carrying her books with her other arm. "Are you ok? Madam Pomfrey made quite a show back there-"

I shake her hand off. "Rose, I don't want to talk right now. I'm kind of mad."

Her once happy expression turns concerned. "Why? What happened?"

Yes, go ahead and call me a sissy, but I just wanted to cry. My friends are being so mean, and I just feel like Rose is the only one who actually cares.

"I-I'll talk to you later about it," I choke out. I walk faster and away from her. I go as fast as I can to the Heads' Dormitory.

"Mandrake," I spat at the lady in the portrait.

"Well excuse me," she says. "That's a bit rude. Besides, that's not the password."

"_What?! _C'mon, I'm Head Boy. Just let me in."

"Nope, sorry sir. I can't-"

"Venomous Tentacula." Rose says, coming out of nowhere. She looks hurt.

The lady nods and swings open.

"Sorry," Rose mutters, gesturing for me to go in. "The password changed last night."

"Why?"

"I dunno. Professor McGonagall has her reasons."

I walk in and go up my stairs as fast as I can. I throw my books onto my bed and kick my bed. I yell and put my hands through my hair, gripping my head. I hear a soft knock on my door. I turn around angrily and see Rose standing in the doorway. She takes a step in my room.

"Scorpius," she says gently. "What's the matter?"

"Rose, it's not a problem." I say gruffly. "If it was I would tell you-"

She takes another step closer to me. "Scorpius, I _know _something's wrong, and apparently it _is _a problem. Just an hour ago you seemed pretty happy."

_That's because I was with you, _I think. I take my hands out of my hair and rub my eyes. "It doesn't matter. Just-." I groan turn away. I can't help it. I'm just so mad at my friends right now. I can't think straight. I feel her grab my shoulders and turn me around. I look into those familiar blue eyes. Water is building up on her lower eyelid. Why is she crying? I didn't-

"I'm sorry Rose," I said sadly. "I didn't mean to hurt you or anything."

"No, it's fine," she said. Her hands slide down my shoulders and arms and takes my hands. "I don't want you to be upset, Scorpius. I'm here for you. Just tell me what's going on."

"My friends didn't come and visit me at _all," _I said angrily. "It's like they don't even care about me. You're the only one that seems concerned. I told them during Defense Against the Dark Arts that you're a better friend than them and they got all mad at me."

Rose stared into my eyes. A couple seconds passed and then she wrapped her arms around my neck. Her words rang in my ears: _"I don't want you to be upset, Scorpius. I'm here for you…" _She really _does _care a lot about me. I hesitantly wrap my arms around her and hug her back. I stare out the doorway. I feel her bury her head in my shoulder. As much as I like her now, sharing this moment with her strengthened our friendship.

* * *

**A.N: I loved Rose and Scorpius' hug scene. It was so cute! :) Sorry about the last sentence. I couldn't figure out how to end it. :/**

**Now. About Rose's reason for dating Lorcan... I know it might be a dumb reason, but I think that Rose really didn't have a choice anyway. She felt as if she _had _to say yes, because of peer pressure. That always messes everything up. Lorcan was so bloody attatched to her, that she really couldn't shake him off. She felt that the only way to deal with it was to go along with it. I think she's been pretty strong to deal with him for four years. More of an explanation is in Chapter Two of the sequel to this: A Certain Blonde-Haired Boy (written in Rose's POV). I've got a plan for their relationship, so as a spoiler/hint I'll say that they won't be together for long...**

**I hope you guys haven't forgotten about the Charlotte hint either...**

**Scorpius _might _have sounded too much like a girl in this chapter. He was overobsessing about his friends not caring about him, so... Yeah, when I say it like that it sounds too girly. (-.-) Whatever. I just felt like that I needed to add some friend drama in there, but I know if it sounds cheesy that it wasn't a good thing to put in... Oi.**

**Thanks for bothering to read that. **

**-Jayna**


	13. Parents

Chapter Thirteen: Parents

* * *

I sat there and flipped my eggs around my plate. Yesterday was a complete disaster, if you don't count my do-over picnic with Rose. Oh, and we hugged. I smile to myself. Sorry, I just can't help it. Whenever I think about it it just makes me giddy. I, of course, am sitting by myself toward the end of the table. All of my friends are avoiding me, except Dale. But he's too busy with Charlotte to talk to me anymore. Or wait… Am _I_ avoiding _them…? _Now that I think about it… Man, was I too emotional about that? Yeah, I was. Good gosh, I sound like a bloody _girl! _I hear a flapping of wings and I look up. Thankfully, I see Harold flying toward me. He lands in front of me. I pat his head and he hoots. He puts his leg up and I untie the envelope. I give him some eggs and toast and he spreads his wings out.

"Wait," I tell him. "I have something to send back to them."

I put my arm out and he hops onto it. I walk down the corridors and to the Heads' Dormitory. I go up and into my room. He flies over to his cage and nibbles on his food. I sit on my bed and open the envelope. There are two pieces of parchment in it. The first one is from mum.

"_Dear Scorpius," _it says. _"I'm sorry if it feels like I haven't written to you in a while. Things are… a bit heated at home. Mrs. McGonagall-"_ I look up and raise my eyebrow. _"Mrs. McGonagall?" _Oh, well I guess she's not a "Professor" to her anymore. _"Mrs. McGonagall told us about what happened with your fight. Are you doing ok? And she says it was over a _girl? _Tell me all about it!" _I roll my eyes and smile. Oh mum. A little smiley face is after that sentence. _"Will I be seeing you for Christmas? Or are you going to stay at the Weasleys'? How is school going? I hope everything is ok. Speaking of school, I hear Rose Weasley is Head Girl! How is that? You be nice to her, young man." _I can practically hear her saying that to me. I smile again. _"Even if you don't like her you still have to be nice to her. Do it for me. Well your father wants to write a separate note for you. I love you, Mum."_

I open up the second piece of parchment.

"_Scorpius, your mum is probably too sensitive and didn't tell you what's going on." _My dad took up a whole line writing things and then crossing it out. _"Ok, well we're having a bit of an argument right now, and I think it's time for us to take a little break." _I feel like my heart stopped. What. _What did he just say?! _No. No no no, this is _not _happening. Mum and dad are _not _doing this to me. _Keep reading, _my brain tells me. I obey. _"Now don't get worried or anything. We're just going to take a break and breathe a little, ok? I'm not leaving, we're just… sorting things out. Beat that Weasley girl at everything possible. Don't fraternize with her. She's bad news. –Dad"_

I can't help but smile at the part about Rose. But yet, I feel a pang of guilt. _"Don't fraternize with her." _Well, I think I'm in love with her, does that count?

But wait, back it up. Mum and dad are "taking a break?" _Why?!_ What could they possibly be fighting about? I hope it's not about anything serious… I hope they don't get a divorce… No. Happy thoughts. I shake my head. Now really, _what_ could be going on? Mum seemed pretty happy in her note. I wonder if she's not really affected by it… _"We're just going to take a break and breathe a little…" _What could that possibly mean? He said that he's not leaving… Ok, that's good. Well… Gosh, I'm worried. What's happening…?

I hear a familiar soft knock on my door. I quickly fold the pieces of parchment up and look over at the doorway. Rose is standing there, smiling.

"Good morning!" she says cheerfully, walking over to me. I shove the pieces of parchment in my pocket. She sits on my bed. "Are you ok? You look sort of pale."

My face grows hot and my hand flies up and scratches the back of my head. "Uh, y-yeah, I'm fine," I say stupidly. I feel the lump of parchment in my pants pocket.

She stared at me in disbelief. "Scorpius, we were over this _yesterday._ You can tell me _anything-"_

"Yeah, yeah, I know," I interrupted. "But really, I'm fine."

"I don't believe you."

"Well you should."

She stared at me again and sighed. She stood up and walked toward the door again. She put her hand on the door frame, and looked over her shoulder. "If you don't want to tell me, fine. You know I'll get it out of you somehow." I watched her red curls bounce as she walked down the stairs. "Oh! And _please _don't forget to host Quidditch Tryouts!" I heard her call to me from downstairs. "For crying out loud I've been telling you for days! Gryffindor Tryouts are tomorrow, so don't plan on doing it tomorrow!"

I rolled my eyes and laughed. "Gotcha, Rose!" I yell back at her. I take out the pieces of parchment in my pocket and throw them in my trunk. I get out a fresh piece, a quill, and some ink. I scribble onto it, _"Dear mum and dad, What are you doing to me? Are you trying to screw me up? Please tell me you guys are joking. You'll have me distracted all day. Mum, you sound way too relaxed about this if it's real. Don't go all out and start yelling at dad, but at least try and act like you don't want this to be happening. Dad, YOU MUST NOT LEAVE. Even if you said you aren't, you can't anyway. Do it for me. And mum. I refuse to speak to you guys if you don't sort this out. –Scorpius." _ I tie the letter onto Harold, pat his head, and he flies out the window. I grab my _Turbojet _and my Quidditch robes_. _If you haven't been up to date, the _Turbojet _is the newest type of broom out. I had mine custom made, and the broomstick is green with silver bristles. Ha, bet _you _don't have one like mine. I really _am _going insane. I'm talking to an invisible audience. I bound down the stairs and I see Rose walking out. I head to the Slytherin Common Room. Dale and Charlotte are just coming out of it. Charlotte quickly lets go of Dale's arm and tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear. _Weird…_

"Hey, Scorpius," they say in unison.

"Hey Dale, Charlotte," I reply. "I'm going to out to the Quidditch Pitch for a while. Care to join?"

"No thanks, we've got stuff to do," Dale said before leaving with Charlotte.

_What kind of stuff?! _I mentally shout.

I shrug as I step through the portrait hole. Lee and Alex are playing Exploding Snap.

"_Bonjour _dude," Alex says, not looking up from their game. "Happy Saturday."

They act as if I didn't turn all girly with them yesterday.

"_Bonjour _to you too, whatever that means," I said, going over to the bulletin board on the wall. "Are you guys still mad at me?"

"Nah," Lee said. "We're cool." I sigh of relief. "You were just traumatized." …No comment.

I look at the bulletin board. I said, "Say, do either of you have a piece of parchment?"

Without looking up from their game, Lee says, _"Accio parchment!" _

A piece of parchment flies down the staircase and into Lee's hand.

"Here," he said idly, waving it around.

I go over and take it from him. "Do you have a-"

"_Accio quill!" _he said. A quill comes zooming down at us. "There."

"Thanks," I stared at him. "Ink?" I asked sheepishly.

Lee sighed. _"Accio Ink! _There! Are you _trying _to mess me up?!"

I mentally made a face at him. I screwed open the ink bottle and dipped the quill in. I went back by the bulletin board. I put the piece of piece of parchment on the wall and scribbled onto it: _"Quidditch Tryouts today at 2:30 PM on the Quidditch Pitch. Must be third year and/or over." _I tacked it onto the board. I set the quill back on the table. "There are Quidditch Tryouts today at 2:30." I tell them.

For the first time since I came in, they both look up at me. "Today?" They said in unison.

"Yeah," I reply, walking back to the portrait hole. "I'm going to go flying, so I don't make fool of myself in front of the people who want to try out." I climb through and step into the hallway. I walk out and onto the grounds, heading toward the Quidditch Pitch. Lots of people are outside today, since it's Saturday. I can't believe that the first week of school has gone by already… The sky is clear blue, and it seems warm out. I slip on my Quidditch robes.

I smile as I walk onto the familiar ground of the Quidditch Pitch. I mount my broom, and then kick off. The sensation is overwhelming, and elation courses through my entire body. I swerve around and laugh like a maniac. It feels so good to be flying again. I fly through the hoops as I go upside-down. I feel the blood rushing to my head uncomfortably, but nevertheless I laugh again. I turn right side up and zoom through the sky. I slow down gradually and check my watch. It reads: 11:26 AM. So I still have about three hours until people come to try out.

"_Oi, Malfoy!" _I hear someone shout below me. I drop in a steep nose-dive and land on the ground. I look around. "Over here!" The voice says. I turn around. Standing in front of me is Lysander Scamander, Lorcan's brother. Lysander is in Ravenclaw, unlike his brother who's in Gryffindor. He has that same disgustingly sandy-blonde hair and brown eyes. It just makes me want to-

"I heard you beat up my brother," he sniffs. "That wasn't very nice."

"I don't think you should be telling me what's _'nice'_ or not," I say icily. "He was being an arse. What did you want me to do?"

"I can see that," he said. "Heard you were arguing about his girlfriend."

I narrow my eyes. "Rose? Well, yeah, I guess. Why don't you go and ask him about it? I'm sure he'll explain the whole thing to you."

"Okay," Lysander says, raising his eyebrow. "Well anyway, he's still my brother, even if he is a bit stupid." _A bit? _How about _a lot_? "So I reckon you watch your back, Malfoy."

"I reckon you stay out of my vicinity and I won't hex you," I spat. I walked away and back into the castle.

The Lysanders are so stupid! Er, well maybe except their mum. My dad says her name was Luna Lovegood. "Lovegood" being her maiden name. He said she was a bit loopy, but she wasn't all that bad. I've never met her, so I guess I can't really make fun of her. Lorcan and Lysander are idiots though. I could just beat them to a pulp if I felt like it.

* * *

Before I know it, it's already 2:00. I hurry back out to the Quidditch Pitch. I should probably wait for the others now… Soon enough, people are trickling over to the Quidditch Pitch. I'm glad they got the note. It was kind of on short notice. By the time it's 2:20, I have a decent 45 people here (roughly). Some of them don't even look like Slytherins… We'll find that out in a minute.

"Uh, hi," I said awkwardly. "I'm Scorpius Malfoy, and if you make the team I'll be your Quidditch Captain. Well I guess we'll start off with something basic. First, get into groups of ten."

People shuffle around and group together. "Good. Well that group-" I point at the nearest one to me. "-go and fly around the field three times. Try not to get dizzy."

A couple of them look at me like I'm weird, (five or six smile awkwardly) and then they kick off. I guess that was a good decision, because the ones who looked at me like I was stupid weren't even flying straight. When they landed, I pointed at them and a few others.

"No offense, but you guys can't even fly," I said. "Sorry, but I don't think you'll be good on the team… So go away." I could just hear Rose cracking up inside my head. _"Really, Scorpius? That was lame." _She would've said. I mentally shake the thought of her beautiful laughing face out of my head. They trudged away. "Next group," I called to the people. By the time I got finished with everyone, I had eliminated almost a third of the people, and ten of them weren't even in Slytherin. They were all girls, and when I told them to beat it (not like that) they stumbled back into the castle, giggling. I noticed some of them were smaller than the others, so I kicked them out too. Of course, not to be mean, but because they were first and second years.

"I'm going to separate you guys into three groups." I said to the rest of them. I turned my back to them and faced the stands. I pointed to each of the sections as I spoke. "If you wanted to be a Keeper, sit on the left. If you want to be a Chaser, sit in the middle. If you want to be a Beater, sit on the right. I'm already the Seeker, so if you wanted to be that…go away." I heard some people leave. I turned and faced the remaining people. "I presume you all know what the positions are-"

Someone raised their hand. I narrowed my eyes. "Yes?" I said irritably.

"What's a-" he started.

I pointed at the castle, as if saying, "Beat it." If he wanted to be on the Quidditch team, shouldn't he know the positions?! He walked away, thinking he could throw me a glare unnoticed, but of course I saw him. I growled at him, "I saw that!"

"The rest of you, now," I said vaguely, staring daggers at the kid's back. "Go to which section you should be in. Keepers, left; Chasers, middle; and Beaters, right. Don't forget that I can only have one Keeper, three Chasers, and two Beaters. I'm going to narrow this down a lot." Everyone walked over to the stands and sat down accordingly to what they wanted to be. I pointed to the biggest group, the Keepers. "All of you, form a line. I'll call you up, one by one, and throw five Quaffles at you. You have to block. Simple enough?" They all nodded. "If any of you tie, we'll do another round. Now go." They all got up from their seats in the stands and walked back onto the field, forming a line. I mounted my broom and kicked off into the air.

"Whoever's first in line, come on up!" I shouted at them. I flew over to the three giant hoops. One timid looking girl flew up next to me. I nodded toward the hoops and she flew in front of them. I summoned the Quaffle from a box on the ground with my wand and it zoomed up to me.

"Ready?" I called to the girl. She nodded shakily. I threw the Quaffle at her. _One, two, three, four. _She blocked four of them and missed the last one. I gave her a smile. "Good job. Er, go sit back in the stands and we'll see if anyone else does as good as you." She smiled back, her face rather red, and flew down to the stands.

I turned to the line of people on the ground. "Next!"

* * *

I was extremely exhausted from all of the throwing and other stupid stuff from the Quidditch Tryouts. It was nearly five o'clock by the time we got done. I had narrowed everything down, and ended up with a pretty good team. Emily Tritherdale (the timid girl) ended up getting the spot for Keeper. Alex, Dale, and Lee had shown up for Chaser, but only Dale made the team. Alex and Lee were pretty good sports about it. They weren't complaining or anything, which is good. The other two Chasers were Gwen Blakemore and Randy Perkins. The two beaters were Jason Rovus and Nate Spendle. I was surprised how far Nate could hit that bludger, being kind of a scrawny kid. He nearly took off my head with it… So yeah. I'm not too confident about everyone, but I'm sure I'll be able to get used to everyone by the first few practices.

I stumbled back through the portrait hole, to find Rose reading a book on the sofa. She was wearing a long-sleeved white shirt with red stripes (going vertical) and black pants. I gaped at the room. It was completely unrecognizable now. The fireplace that once sat on the wall where the portrait hole is was now behind the sofa. The sofa was red with green cushions, and it made it look Christmasy. Yes, I just made that word up. The sofa is pointing toward the fire place and so is a green chair with red cushions. There is still a coffee table in front of the sofa, and the rug is still there too. In front that (the way I'm facing its nearest to me), there are _two _desks, one with a red cushion on the chair and one with a green cushion on the chair. The one with the red cushion has _"Rose Weasley," _in red and gold paint on the front. The other desk has my name on the front in green and silver. My desk had nothing on it, and hers already had stacks of papers and books on it.

"What happened to this place?" I said, dumping my broom on the desk.

Rose smiled, looking up from her book and examining the room. "I uh, went to Professor McGonagall while you were doing Quidditch Tryouts." She looked straight at me. "I thought it would be more suitable if we had gotten our own desks instead of that one that used to be here. I also added that chair-" She pointed to the green chair. "-and I changed the carpet." I noticed that instead of being a bunch of random designs, it was now the Hogwarts Crest on a black background. The carpet was still circular.

I plopped down into the green chair and I sunk down into it. It was quite relaxing. I sighed. "Well you were busy while I was gone," I said, rubbing my eyes. "It looks good though."

"Thanks," she said. We sat there in silence, listening to the crackle of the fire.

"We should go on patrols tonight," I said, staring into the flames. "We've kind of been a bad example."

She blushed. "But we've had an-er, _busy _week."

"Yeah, what with me and you being thrown into the Hospital Wing."

She snorted lightly, and gave me a half-smile. "At least it's not like we're blowing it off."

I looked at her. "You will _not _admit that we've been bad Head Boy and Girl."

"That's not true!" She said defiantly. "I'm stating what I think! Is that so wrong?"

"Alright, alright," I said, putting my hands up defensively. "I was only kidding around."

Well, actually I wasn't. She rolled her eyes and sighed. I looked at her. I just want to go over and _kiss her _for crying out loud! I am mentally rolling my eyes at myself right now. I averted my eye-contact and instead pretended to be thoroughly interested in the coffee table.

* * *

**A.N: Hey everybody! I just want to thank you all for being so supportive! Also, I have over 6,000 views! :) That means _so _much to me! I love to see how far the popularity of my story is progressing!**

**I now just want to say sorry for my lack of being on/posting. I am currently starting a new quarter in school, and the teachers seem to be pressing a _lot _of work on us now. I've had three tests this week so far, and there's another one next week. :/ ALSO, I'm auditioning for my school play! :) Yay! So I also have to memorize this dance and song, and the dance is kind of complicated... It's "The Wizard of Oz" this year! :) IN ADDITION, my time on the computer is limited, due to school work AND the fact that I allow my brother to play. (T.T) So yeah. That's what's going on in my life today.**

**Now. Actually _about _the story... I thought I kind of went a little on the short-side with this chapter. Although it's in the 3600's I probably put a hundred (give or take some) words for this A.N. I might have went a bit overboard with the Quiddtich Tryouts... Anyway, I promise there'll be some more drama in the next chapter you can look forward too. :)**

**I apologize if I am boring you! But if you don't want to listen to me say something about my other fan fiction, please proceed with your life! ;)**

**If any of you are reading my sequel to this, "A Certain Blonde-Haired Boy," please know that _this _is my main story until I finish (which probably will be a while). So, if you are getting a bit impatient with me, I would appreciate it if you didn't send me PM's saying "hurry up" and that rubbish. Like I said, this _is _my main story.**

**Thank you, if you bothered to read all that. :)**

**-Jayna**


	14. Patrols

Chapter Fourteen: Patrols

* * *

Later that evening (after dinner), Rose and I both changed into our Hogwarts robes. We grabbed our wands and set off down the corridors, examining the classrooms lazily, and talking.

"So," she said, after shutting a classroom door. "Now do you want to tell me what you were so worried about this morning?"

I scoffed, "I wasn't _worried _about anything this morning." I was internally _freaking out _this morning!

She raised her eyebrow. _"Please, _I could tell _something_ was bothering you."

"Umm…" I said stupidly, scratching the back of my head. "Er… I-uh-"

"Why are you being so stupid about this?" She asked me harshly, stopping abruptly so she could put her hands on her hips for emphasis. _"Why _don't you want to tell me?"

"You know-" I started.

"No, Scorpius. I _don't _know."

Well I was _going _to say, "You know, I really don't know why." Why am I hiding this from her…?

"I-I'll tell you later." I decided.

"No," Rose said, stamping her foot in frustration. "I need to know _now. _I'm your _best friend, _I need to know what's bothering you. I _care _about you."

Her last words made me go all light headed. _"I _care_ about you..." _It took all of my will power to not smile stupidly. I hesitated for a moment, but she groaned and took my hand. I felt my face grow instantly hot, and my legs felt like sticks as she pulled me down the corridors. I had no idea where we were going, and I only realized it when we were climbing a familiar set of stairs. She dragged me up the stairs and opened the door once we got to the top. The Astronomy Tower was absolutely dark, the only light coming from the moon. She pulled me into the room and over to the railing. She took both my hands and looked at me seriously.

"Tell me now or I'll force it out of you," she said dangerously.

I rolled my eyes. Now really, I don't think she would do that. She's bluffing. But oh well, I guess I'm telling her anyway.

"Er, well," I said awkwardly. "Well… My parents are having a bit of trouble."

She nodded, as to say, "Go on."

"And… I think they might be getting a divorce…" I finished. Of course, this is only an assumption, so I may not be entirely right.

Rose's eyes widened in horror as she gasped.

"Oh Scorpius," she said sadly. "I-I'm so sorry…"

"I don't know what they're doing to me," I grunted. "Why are they 'taking a break?' That's what they said in their letter." I said this kind of fast. "It's dumb. I told them that I refused to speak to them if they didn't sort it out. Er, that might've been a bit rude, but I just think it's a lot to comprehend right now-"

"Shh," she said, putting a finger on my lips. I resisted the urge to shiver. She took her finger off my lips. "I understand. Just…" She trailed off. She looked at the ground and took a shaky breath.

"There's something I have to tell you too," she said after a moment. "S-Speaking of parents… I'm worried about my dad." She bit her lip and looked up at me.

I think she was expecting a look of agreement, but instead I was confused.

"What?" I asked her. "Why?"

She sighed. "You don't read the _Daily Prophet, _do you?"

"No," I scoffed. "That stuff's a load of rubbish sometimes-"

"But other times there's the truth," she interrupted. "I-" She pursed her lips, thinking of what to say. "It was talking about my dad yesterday, and-"

"Sorry," I said quickly. "But your dad's Ronald Weasley, right?" I heard a lot of nasty things about him and her "Uncle Harry" from my dad. But I may not be able to trust his judgment anymore…

"Yes," she answered before continuing. "It… It said that he'd gone missing."

I stared at her, waiting for her to continue.

"It-It said that he'd g-gone somewhere because there had been a disturbance with the Muggles a-and he never came back." She said this all in one breath, looking over the railing and into the sky. "It-It said that if anyone found him, they should notify my f-family and the Ministry immediately. He-He just d-disappeared, just like th-that. A-And I asked my mum about everything and she said she hadn't heard from him since the night he l-left, and I-I'm just so worried-"

At this, she took a step back and let go of my hands, covering her eyes and sobbing. Compared to me (that's probably rude), it sounds like she's a lot more troubled than I am about my parents. I went and stood behind her, sliding my hands around her stomach in a sort-of hug. I rested my chin on her slightly shaking shoulder. After a couple minutes of her heartbroken sobs, she wiped her eyes and put her hands on the railing. I went and stood next to her again and looked at her. The areas around her eyes were red and her face was wet. She sniffed.

"S-Sorry," she said awkwardly. "I-I haven't talked about it with anyone other than family, a-and I still can't keep myself from sobbing-"

"Shh," I said, pulling her into a proper hug. I felt her wrap her arms around my neck and I felt her hot breath on my neck. I stroked her hair.

"Everything's going to be fine," I said to her soothingly.

"H-How do you know?" She whispered shakily into my ear. "Wh-what if they never find him-"

"They will," I assured her. I could tell she didn't believe me. "I-I can't promise you that, but I know that in the end, everything's going to be ok." She sighed. Her hair smells like strawberries… I clear my throat and step back, checking my watch. It reads: 10:48 PM.

"Er, we'd better go to bed," I said.

"Yeah," Rose sniffed.

I headed toward the door, but she didn't budge. I took her hand and guided her back to the Heads' Dormitory.

"G'night," I said, letting go of her hand as we stepped through the door.

"'Night," she said sadly.

I walked toward my staircase, but I didn't hear any movement behind me. When I turned around, I wasn't surprised to see that she hadn't moved an inch. She was staring straight ahead, transfixed. I sighed and walked back over to her. She looked into my eyes.

"I can't live anymore," she whispered. "My dad's gone-"

"Rose, you can't say that," I said sternly. "Your father is _not _gone, he's somewhere out there, he's just…misplaced. And what do you mean you 'can't live anymore-'"

"Life is so horrible to me," she continued. "I'm stuck with a blithering idiot I don't love, my dad's missing-"

"Seriously, Rose," I interrupted, starting to get irritated. "Are you trying to make me pity you? 'Cause I'm not. You need to get a grip on yourself-" I took her shoulders and gave her a little shake. "-and have hope that everything's going to be ok."

She stared at me, showing no sign of emotion. I hugged her again.

"Rose, trust me on this. Your dad's going to be fine."

"Ok," she whispered back.

I broke off and held her at arm's length. I brushed a loose strand of hair out of her face with my left hand. I kissed her forehead. "Get some sleep, ok?"

"Ok," she whispered again, walking very slowly over to her staircase. I sighed again and went up mine. I had my hand on the doorknob, but didn't enter until I heard Rose's door open and then close. I changed into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and sat on my bed. Was that a signal? She said she "can't live anymore…" _You're tired, _my brain told me. _Go to bed already. You can barely keep your eyes open. _I slid under the sheets and stared into the darkness of the room. My brain was right. I can barely keep my eyes open…

* * *

The next morning, I wasn't surprised to see Harold perched on his cage, a letter tied to his leg. _Today's Sunday, my last free day before another lousy week of classes, _I think disgustedly. I untangle myself from my blankets and scratch my back, walking over to Harold. I untie the note from his leg and pat his head. I unroll the piece of parchment.

"_Dear Scorpius," _It says. _"Please don't be mad at us. Everything at home is quite alright, so don't worry. We were just having a little dispute over something silly." _A little smiley face placed itself after that. _"In the midst of all the nonsense we had put in our other letters, you had never answered my questions about school." _I'm assuming that this is mum writing._ "Now really, how are you feeling? I mean, you _had _gotten into a fight (over a girl), so…?" _I rolled my eyes. _"Who was this girl? Are Head Duties ok? Are you coming home for Christmas? Please reply ASAP! Love always, mum and dad."_

She makes it sound like I've been here for months already. I dug around my trunk for some parchment, a quill, and ink. I put the parchment on the table next to my bed and started writing.

_Dear mum and dad, everything here is fine. Head Duties are ok, just patrolling and that rubbish. If you _really _want to know, the girl was Rose Weasley. Now dad, don't you go and start fretting that I've fallen in love with her. (Well, I have, _I thought.) _Just her stupid boyfriend thought I was trying to steal her or something. I'm feeling fine. Madam Pomfrey fixed me up and I was out of the Hospital Wing after a day. Rose and I are friends, so I guess that's good. Dad, I just thought it would make life easier (if we became friends). Otherwise we would be glaring at each other and it would be hard to work on things together with the tension in the air. It's kind of early to ask about Christmas, because I haven't talked to Hugo or Rose about staying over. I still don't believe you guys that it was nothing. I just decided to give you a little view on my life, otherwise I wouldn't be replying at all. Work this out. –Scorpius._

I rolled the parchment up and went to tie it on Harold, but I stopped. I patted his head.

"You've been doing a great job, Harold," I told him. "Why don't you go get some rest in the Owlery?"

He blinked at me as if he understood, and flew through the window. I scratched my head and decided that I would use one of the school's owls. I heard a knock on my door. I looked over and saw Rose standing there.

"Hello!" She said happily.

"Merlin's Pants, Rose," I grunted, pretending to not look embarrassed. "I'm in my pajamas."

"Well I guess you should change," she replied.

"Now?"

"Heavens, no!" she shrieked, looking panic-stricken.

I laughed. "Just kidding."

She rolled her eyes. "What are you doing today?"

"Why, did you have something in mind?"

She gave me the "seriously?" look.

"Gosh," I said, scratching my head again and yawning. "Take a joke for once."

She leaned on the door frame. "You sound like my brother."

"But really, why are you asking?"

"I don't know," she replied. "Just wondering." She added hastily. She turned around and bounded down the stairs. I heard the door downstairs open and then click shut.

_I think she wanted to do something with me today! _I thought giddily. I smiled to myself as I prepared for the day. But really…what _was _I doing today? My friends would probably be off doing something foolish like always, and Rose would be hosting Quidditch Tryouts…and snogging her boyfriend. I'm the odd ball out. _Oh please, _a voice hissed at me. _You're not _stupid, _are you, Scorpius? Quit acting like a girl. You'll find something to do. _Yeah, I'll find something to do…

* * *

It's about two in the afternoon, and all I've been doing is walk around the castle idly. I'm acting completely ridiculous, I can't think of what to do. I found that my hand was on the door to the grounds, thinking I should go watch Rose- I mean Quidditch Tryouts. But I thought that would be awkward (me being a Slytherin), so I sheepishly walked away, getting some weird looks from passerby people. I saw Victorie as I wandered around, and she smiled and waved, giving me a little wink as she passed me.

"What's that about?" I heard one of the girls say in a hushed tone after they walked by.

I rolled my eyes and continued my meaningless stroll around the castle. About a half an hour later, I decided to stop by in the Slytherin Common Room. I found none of my friends there, not even Charlotte. My stomach growled loudly as I stepped through the portrait hole and into the hallway. I guess I missed lunch. …_How did I miss lunch?! _I shook my head and walked to the kitchens. As usual, Isa greeted me at the entrance.

"Good afternoon, Master Scorpius!" Isa squeaked, bowing so low that her nose touched the ground.

"Hello, Isa," I said, seating myself on top of an unused coffee table.

"What can Isa get for you today?" she asked politely.

"Er," I said awkwardly. "Well I sort of missed lunch, so really anything will do."

She nodded, and then bounded off into the crowd of tiny elves. Some of the other elves looked at me curiously as they walked by with plates and dishes full of food. I heard a noise, and I nearly jumped out of my skin when I looked over to where the noise came from. Rose, drenched in sweat, came stumbling into the kitchen and the bricks behind her slid back into place as she entered. An elf quickly scurried away and brought back a chair and another got her a glass of water. She gasped thanks, and quickly guzzled the water, slopping some onto her Quidditch Robes. She wiped her mouth on her Keeper's gloves and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. Her eyes scanned the area and met my gaze.

"Scorpius?" She said, surprised. She dragged her chair over to me. "What're you doing here?"

"I, um, missed lunch," I said stupidly, my face growing warm. "Er, what are _you _doing here?"

"Ugh," she groaned. "I just got back from Quidditch Tryouts. It was bloody _exhausting." _

"I know what you mean," I agreed, nodding.

"I probably spent half the time yelling at everyone because some of the boys were just standing there like idiots, staring at me."

A wave of jealousy swept over me. Some guys just went there to check her out? That's wrong on so many levels-

"There were about a dozen people that were first and second years," she continued, interrupting my thoughts. "That really ticked me off because I _specifically said-"_

"Third years and up?" I guessed. She nodded, taking another swig of water.

She sighed. "Honestly, you don't want to hear the rest of it." I laughed.

Isa came back some two minutes later with a plate full of food.

"Here is your food, sir!" Isa said, handing me the plate.

I took a bite of a sandwich before saying a muffled, "Thanks, Isa." Isa bows again and walks off somewhere.

Rose eyes my food hungrily. "I-I didn't eat lunch either…" she says innocently. She bites her lip as she looks at me hopefully.

I reply, "Go ahead," pushing the plate toward her. Isa filled the plate with so many things that there was enough for both of us, and when we had cleaned the plate we were stuffed.

Rose burped loudly, reclining in her chair. "That hit the spot," she said, looking utterly satisfied. I nodded in agreement.

"Oh, I forgot to ask you," I said. "How do you know how to get in here?"

"My uncle George knows a _ton _about the secrets of this castle," She said. "He told me how in my first year. He said he would've remembered more, but my uncle Fred died in the Battle of Hogwarts…" She trailed off sadly.

I said awkwardly, "Oh, er… sorry."

"That's quite alright," She said, shaking her head. She seemed happy to get off that subject.

* * *

"Oh my gosh," Rose suddenly exclaimed, making me jump. Rose and I were in the Heads' Dormitory, sitting on the couch together and staring into the crackling fire. She smiled devilishly. "Do you remember that one guy in fifth year-?"

"No, I don't," I interrupted.

She rolled her eyes as she smiled. "Do you remember in fifth year that kid Benjamin Davies?"

"Oh yeah!" I said, grinning along with her. "Was he that kid-?"

"-who fell from that tree-"

"-and his pants got snagged on a branch-"

"-and his pants got pulled off!" Rose finished, giggling.

"I _so _remember that!" I said, laughing. "Weren't his underpants unicorns or something?"

Rose laughed harder. When she caught her breath she said, "Yes!"

"That guy was an idiot," I said, shaking my head. "Who would wear unicorn underpants?"

Rose shrugged. "I don't know. I know _I _certainly didn't when I was younger."

I threw my hands up and shouted, "He's a messed up kid, you know that?"

"Does he even go here anymore?" Rose asked. "I don't see him around."

"Yeah, he probably transferred to Beauxbatons."

"That's an all girls school!" Rose giggled.

"Exactly my point," I agreed, smiling.

After about another hour of recounting things from our previous years at Hogwarts, Rose finally yawned. We had already had dinner, and it was about nine o'clock.

"I think we should go to bed," I said, chuckling slightly.

"Yeah," Rose said.

We sat there in silence, listening to the crackling fire.

"I don't want to go to classes tomorrow," Rose complained. "I would _much _rather spend the day with you."

My heart beat faster as my face grew warm. "Y-Yeah, so would I," I said.

Rose got up and stretched. She sighed, then leaned down and kissed me on the cheek. "See you tomorrow," she said, walking around the couch and up her stairs.

I got up as well, watching her ascend slowly. "Yeah, see you," I replied. She gave me a little smile and then went into her bedroom. I yawned and then went up the stairs and into my bedroom. Rose's words echoed in my ears._ "I would _much _rather spend the day with you…" _ I changed back into the pajamas that I had thrown onto my floor this morning. I slipped under the covers and closed my eyes.

* * *

**A.N: Hello! How are you guys liking it so far? Feedback? My phone is being extremely quiet! Please review...?**

**Okay, I _know _this is definitely _not _my best chapter, and it's full of fluff and other stupid stuff. But bear with me. The next chapter should be _tons _more interesting. *wink, wink* This was like, the dumbest chapter, so yeah. The first part was sort of important, but other than that you could tell that I was dragging this on and on and on... Like I said before, my time on the computer is limited, so I probably won't be posting chapters very often from now on...**

**Thanks for reading! :) I promise the next one will be better!**

**-Jayna**


	15. The Party

Chapter Fifteen: The Party

* * *

Days passed, and days turned into weeks. Before I knew it, it was October 31st. Rose and I's friendship was growing stronger every second we spent together. Rose and I have been hanging out every chance we get. Very few people had known we were friends in the beginning, but now almost the whole school knows. People pestered us with questions and things were starting to get tedious, so I threatened to hex anyone who asked us anything else. Although it was a bit surprising at the beginning, my friends aren't really affected by our friendship. They don't mind that Rose sometimes hangs out with us on the grounds. We all have an awesome time, everyone except Charlotte. Charlotte just sits there, looking very stiff indeed while we all laugh and joke around. I'm not sure of the cause of Charlotte's strange behavior, but I guess it's nothing to worry about. Rose and Hugo invited me over for Christmas, along with the Potters. I, of course, accepted immediately (and that's always ok with my parents). Speaking of which, they've sorted out whatever happened so I can safely say that they're not getting a divorce. Awesome. I know that I'm still in love with Rose, but I don't want things to turn messy since she's still dating Lorcan. I don't know _why, _seeing how we both like each other. Of course, she doesn't _know _that yet, but I plan on telling her soon (so she can get rid of that idiot Scamander). I'll tell you what's going on presently, now that I've filled you in on the other stuff. If you haven't noticed, it's Halloween. Rose and I got permission from Professor McGonagall (it was Rose's idea to ask) to have a Halloween party for the sixth and seventh years. She would let us on two conditions: we would not be noticed by the younger students (because then they would want to join in) and that no one would bring firewhisky. We agreed to the terms and started telling everyone we knew in sixth and seventh year about the party. Nearly everyone said they'd be coming (the exception of a few people), and Rose and I worked on decorations and preparations. Er, well actually it wasn't that hard. Rose and I had found the Room of Requirement, so we really didn't have to do anything. We told everyone it would take place on Halloween night there, starting at 8:30PM.

So, as everyone sat at dinner, we were all waiting anxiously for it to finish. When Professor McGonagall dismissed us, all of the sixth and seventh years got up and dashed out of the Great Hall. I found Rose speed-walking as fast as she could go down the corridors. _She is such a goody two-shoes! _I ran up to her and grabbed her hand, laughing as I pulled her down the corridors to the Heads' Dormitory.

"Are you excited?" She asked me, pulling me through the door.

"You bet!" I said. I don't even know _why _I'm this excited. I guess me being friends with Rose puts my spirits up higher.

"I'm going to go change!" Rose said gleefully, running up her stairs.

I don't, seeing how I'm in my regular school clothes. If you're thinking I should, what would I wear? Not a suit, it's a party. I go up my staircase and drop my school robes off and onto the floor. I pace around my room, heart racing. _I wonder what's going to happen tonight, _I think. _I can feel something in my gut… _Thoughts of whatever that was in my gut completely melted out of my mind when I heard Rose's voice.

"Scorpius?" Rose called. "Where did you go?"

I checked my watch: 8:17 PM. _What? _Over an hour has passed already?! Do girls _really _take that long to get ready?

"Scorpius?" Rose called again.

"Coming!" I said, bounding down the stairs two at a time.

"_Wait!" _Rose hissed, as she saw me coming down. _"Close your eyes!" _

I obeyed her, asking, "Why?"

"I want to be my appearance to be a surprise!" Rose said.

I felt my face grow warm for some reason. "What? That's-"

"Oh please, let's just play this little game. Count to fifty, then find me in the crowd at the party."

"This is weird," I complained. "Go. One…two…three…"

I heard Rose giggle, heels clacking on the floor, a door open, click shut, then heels clacking on the floor again, but quicker this time. I opened my eyes and wasn't surprised to see that she'd gone. I quickly counted to fifty, and then leapt (not literally) down the rest of the stairs. I opened the door and found the halls completely deserted. I walked down the quiet hallways to the Room of Requirement. Rose and I had been playing these little games for a while, where she would make me close my eyes and try to find her. Like that muggle game "Hide and Seek." I find myself facing an empty wall. I walk back and forth in front of the wall, thinking repeatedly _I need to find where the party is. _A door forms out of nowhere, and I quickly check the area to make sure I'm not being watched. I wrenched the door open, stepped inside, and shut the door behind me.

I was completely awed. Black and orange party streamers and balloons lined the ceiling and walls, the room was enormous and packed with people. Some were dressed up in costumes, and others simply wore their school clothes. There was a bar with two vampires (dressed like muggle vampires) serving drinks, there were couches, tables, and chairs everywhere, and a massive dance floor was in the center. Lee was at some sort of muggle machine in the middle of the dance floor. He was holding a pair of muggle headphones. Yes, I've seen them before, only because I saw a muggle kid at the King's Cross station wearing them. Lee saw me and beckoned me to come over, grinning from ear to ear. I went over to him, also smiling for no apparent reason.

"Hey, man!" Lee shouted, clapping me on the back. "Thought you wouldn't show!"

"Oh please," I said. "I bloody _organized _this whole thing."

He shrugged. "Yeah, well." Then his entire face lit up. "Hey, I want to show you this." He gestured toward the thing he was standing by. "This is called a turntable," Lee explained. "I can play music and all that other stuff here. I've used one of these before, because I was a DJ for this muggle 'high school' dance." He looked at me. "So now we can play muggle music if we want to."

"It looks a lot more complicated than it seems," I said, staring down at all the buttons.

He shrugged again. "I get it, at least. That's all that matters I guess."

I don't really listen to music (at all), so I honestly didn't care. But Lee seemed to take pride in his knowledge of muggle technology, so I just looked away awkwardly.

"Er, well I have to go find Rose," I muttered, shuffling away. When I had gotten out of Lee's vicinity, my eyes searched the crowd in a frenzy, looking for that familiar mass of red hair. I saw Rachel walk by in my peripheral vision, and I ran to catch up with her.

"Have you seen Rose?" I said when I had finally caught up to her.

"Um, no," Rachel said, adjusting her glasses on her face. "I was looking for her too…"

My eyes left her face and continued to search the crowd. "Oh, well um thanks anyway."

I walked off into the sea of people on the dance floor. I pushed past people, muttering, "Excuse me," and, "Get out of my way." It was nearly twenty minutes later when I finally spotted her. She was wearing a shin-length orange and black striped dress with black high heels. Her hair was no longer messy and tangled, but straight and shiny. It looked odd to see her hair so tame. She was wearing a black headband to top it off. She was talking animatedly to someone with a glass of fruit punch in her hand. She smiled and said goodbye to whoever she was talking to and walked away. I hurried to catch up with her. I was about a foot behind her when I grabbed her hand and whispered into her ear, "I win."

She laughed and turned around to face me. "How come it took you so long to find me?" She asked me.

I shrugged. "It's kind of hard to play 'Where's Rose' when there's a room full of people."

She nodded in agreement. "Do you want to dance?" She asked me, grinning.

"Um, no," I said, scratching the back of my head. "I'd rather not-"

Rose grabbed my hand and pulled me over to the dance floor. I heard Lee's voice booming across the room. "This is another muggle song called 'Dynamite' by…Tay-o Cruise? Well you get the point." Tons of people flocked onto the dance floor and surrounded Rose and I. I felt extremely claustrophobic. The song started.

"I love this song!" Rose squealed.

"Er," I said awkwardly.

"_I came to dance, dance, dance, dance," _The song began. _"I hit the floor 'cause that's my plans, plans, plans, plans…" _

"That's bad grammar!" I shouted, my face growing hot. _What am I supposed to do? _I thought frantically. _I don't know how to dance! …Oh my gosh is he really doing that?! _Some kid is doing some _seriously _dirty dancing that I don't even want to describe. Rose was jamming out, laughing and dancing like I'd never seen before. She was having an awesome time, while I stood there like an idiot.

"C'mon, Scorpius!" Rose said. "It's so much fun!"

"Uh," I said stupidly. "I-I don't know how to dance…" I admitted.

"Just go freestyle!" Rose laughed. "If it was ballroom dancing it would be different!"

I stood there and stared at her, watching her dance and flip her hair while she sang along with the song. She makes it sound like it's the best feeling in the world, to dance. Of course, rather than be embarrassed, I bolted. I pushed through the crowd again and went to the bar.

"Could you get me some water?" I asked one of the vampires, collapsing into one of the chairs at the bar. The vampire nodded and went through a door (I guess) led to the kitchen. I was shaking like mad and I broke into a sweat. _What's the matter with me? _I thought. _I'm just nervous, I guess. How come this never happened before when I hung out with Rose? It's not even that big of a deal… _The vampire waitress came back with a glass of water and I chugged it down. I wiped my face with the sleeve of my shirt. I refilled the glass with _Aguamenti. Now really, _why _am I so nervous? It's not like she asked me to go kill myself or anything! She simply asked me to dance, and I freaked. _WHY?! _It doesn't even make any sense-_

"Hey Scorpius!" A cheery girl's voice said. I turned around in my chair to see myself face to face with Charlotte. She had a wide smile on her face. She was wearing a strapless black dress that I thought dipped way too low on her chest. Not that I was looking, okay?! The dress looked extremely tight and uncomfortable, but nevertheless she looked quite happy.

"Um, hey Charlotte," I said awkwardly, focusing hard on her face. She seemed way too giddy for her normal self. I slid out of my chair, clutching the glass in my hand so tight that my knuckles were white. I leaned on the counter with my right hand for support. "What brings you here?" I asked stupidly, my mind feeling hazy.

She shrugged. "Isn't this an awesome party?" She asked me, not answering my question.

"Yeah," I replied, looking around, pretending to examine the room. "The decorations are pretty sweet-"

I was interrupted by a sharp whistle. Without warning, Charlotte leaned in quickly and kissed me full on the lips. My eyes were wide open in shock and I had a hard time processing what had just happened. Only seconds had passed after our lips met when I heard a breaking of glass. Charlotte drew back and blushed, smiling. I looked at her with complete confusion and a little bit of anger. I saw what had caused the noise: Rose was standing there, her face red, her hand in the air, cupped, as if she was holding a glass. She had dropped the glass of fruit punch she was holding and it lay in shards on the ground. Her jaw was dropped and tears had already started forming in her eyes. The room had gone completely silent when everybody heard the whistle. Everybody's eyes were on the scene before them: Charlotte, me, and Rose.

"Rose," I started. "I didn't-"

She took off before I even got to finish my sentence. I dropped my glass too and dashed after her. She blasted the door open with her wand and sprinted down the hall, her heels clacking on the tiles.

"Rose!" I shouted after her. "Rose, wait!"

She didn't stop to look at me or turn around. She kept running. I regretted what I was about to do, even before I did it. I drew my wand and pointed it at her. Instantly, she tripped and fell, landing hard on her elbows. She cursed loudly and turned on the ground to face me.

"Rose, I'm sorry, but I had no way of stopping you," I said when I caught up to her. I kneeled on the ground next to her. The tears were pouring uncontrollably out of her eyes.

"You son of a bitch," she whispered almost inaudibly.

"What?" I said, suddenly losing my patience. "What did you call me?"

"Scorpius Malfoy, you are a son of a bitch!" she shrieked.

"What are you _talking _about?! I didn't even do anything!"

"_You blithering idiot!" _She hissed."You bloody _kissed a girl _in front of me! In front of my very eyes!"

"I –she- _Charlotte kissed me! I _didn't kiss _her! _She leaned in! This was a complete setup-"

"You were just trying to get me mad, weren't you?"

"Rose, no! I honestly didn't even do anything!"

She did it. Just like that. She slapped me across the face and the noise echoed down the hall.

"You don't even _realize _it." She said, standing up slowly. "You don't realize-" She leaned in so our noses were an inch apart. "-what you've done." She finished. She walked away without another word.

* * *

The rumor that Charlotte and I were up to something was around the school in a matter of twenty-four hours. Of course we didn't, but I think that was the type of publicity Charlotte was aiming for. I now know why Charlotte was all like "I'm sure she's _fine,"_ when Rose was being tortured by Tracy in September: she _liked _me. She didn't want me thinking or worrying about Rose because she and Tracy _orchestrated _the torture. She obviously wanted Rose out of the way so she could make her move on me. Tracy didn't want to be the one that had to do the dirty work, but apparently she was given a decent sum of money to do it. How do I know this? Well, honestly, it's a guess, but it sounds legit, right? Anyway, I went to breakfast only to be confronted by a very angry and purple faced Dale.

"WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU?" Dale shouted when I entered the Great Hall.

"What are you playing at, Dale?" I replied nonchalantly.

"YOU KISSED MY GIRLFRIEND!" Dale hollered at me.

"Dale, _you idiot,"_ I tried to say calmly. "_Charlotte_ was the one that kissed _me!"_

"OH, LIKE I CAN BELIEVE THAT! SURE, MY GIRLFRIEND WOULD GO AND _CHEAT_ ON ME!"

"Please, she wasn't cheating on you. I'm nearly positive that she just dated you to try and get close to me."

"YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE TRYING TO HELP, IT'S NOT WORKING!"

I shook my head and crossed my arms. "Fine. Believe whatever you want to believe. Keep it up and I'll kick you off the Quidditch team."

Dale narrowed his eyes. "When you come to your senses let me know." I spat.

Dale did something that I'd never think I'd see him do: he lifted his middle finger up at me. Then he stormed off to the farthest end of the Slytherin table, where people generously scooted closer to their neighbor to make room for him. I shook my head again and sighed, sitting at the spot closest to me at the table. November is not getting out to a great start. I thought deeply before I fell asleep last night. I think I found a _(possible) _reason why I felt so weird last night.

I'm nearly positive that this was all a part of Charlotte's plan. I was put under the Imperius Curse so I would feel all weird and go to the bar. Although, I was for sure that I was acting of my own accord, and I didn't feel a floaty (yes, I know that's not a word) sensation (as my dad describes it). Anyway, it's the most reasonable thing I could come up with. Rose was put under the Imperius Curse too, so she would follow me. But as soon as we both got into the places we were supposed to be, the Imperius Curse was lifted. That crisp whistle was probably a signal to Charlotte that Rose was coming (or was there) and that meant to kiss me. I know that Charlotte didn't just kiss me (on coincidence) after that whistle. She was obviously trying to sabotage Rose and I's relationship. Well, she succeeded. Rose obviously was giving me the silent treatment, because we usually walk to breakfast together. Today, she left before I was even completely ready. I expect that she won't be speaking to me for a while… But I can't have that! I bet that completely ruined the friendship she and I had been building up for the past two months. I _need _to fix this. I can't live without her… Yes, I did just say that. My feelings for Rose have grown a thousand times stronger since September. I was hoping that I would have a chance of asking her out soon… My birthday is in _ten days, _and I was hoping…well I was hoping that Rose and I could share something special that day… Ah, how good it is to dream.

* * *

**A.N: SUPSENSE! How do you like it so far? **

**Here's that little secret about Charlotte that I've been dying to tell you guys! It might not seem like much, but she's a total arse when it comes to Rose and Scorpius' relationship. Oh, and Scorpius' theories about Charlotte are all right. Ha ha, I sort of wanted to explain it all without him actually talking to Charlotte. I apologize for the language in this chapter, Rose was just really pissed.**

**The format for the beginning of the chapter might be a bit much/awkward, and I understand that. It really wasn't my style (from the beginning) to skip forward a while, and I wasn't trying to hurry it up either. I just wanted you to get the view on what's happening later and blah blah blah if that makes sense. Sorry, I'm kinda lazy right now. :P**

**I know the whole "muggle turntable" crud (when Scorpius arrived at the party) was a bit pointless, but that's just the way I imagined it in my head. :) Like that's the way Lee greeted him when he got there... **

**Ha ha, sometimes I fall asleep picturing the scenes in my head... I'm the only one who sees this as an epic movie. OFF TRACK!**

**Thanks for reading useless stuff that means nothing to you, if you bothered to read this at all!**

**OHMIJELLO P.S.! Thank you all _so so so_ _so_ _SO _very much for reading this! It's an honor to say... *drum roll* MY FIRST CHAPTER HAS 2,000 VIEWS! Although I wish that every single chapter had 2,000 (that means every person read every chapter), I'm still grateful for all the publicity! :) Kay bye!**

**P.S.S: Did anyone notice that my last three chapters (including this one) have started with P...?!**

**-Jayna**


	16. So Close

Chapter Sixteen: So Close

* * *

The next week of classes was probably the worst week of my life. Rose was still acting stony, and she refused to speak to me. I try conversing with her every chance I get but she doesn't answer me. Dale is still ticked at me, even though I've tried to explain to him a thousand times that I'm not even interested in Charlotte. Of course, I haven't told anyone that I like Rose, and I hope to keep it that way…for now. Anyway, I was hardly paying attention to the Professors, using the time to try and catch Rose's eye. She occasionally looked up, but then she would quickly avert her eye-contact. I can tell she's just looking to see if I'm looking at her. Which most of the time I am. She's probably still pretty mad at me, but I honestly think she's just not talking to me to get me annoyed. If I try to talk to her, she just ignores me and keeps on doing whatever she's doing. Sometimes, she'll look at me but not say anything. She really isn't _glaring _at me, but she looks at me with this certain kind of sadness that only _she_ could break my heart with. I know I have to try to apologize, or _something. _But it would probably come out like, "Hey! I'm sorry I kissed a girl in front of your face! And I like you, so will you go out with me?" I'm bad with words. She seems depressed lately, and I want to try and comfort her, but she still won't respond to me. But I'm starting to think it's not only _me _that's crushing her right now…

* * *

"Scorpius!" I hear someone call Friday evening.

I turn around and search for the voice.

Lily nearly crashes into me, stopping to a halt when we're a foot away from each other.

"Sorry," she gasps, bending over and clutching her side. When she catches her breath, she stands up looks at me sternly.

She opens her mouth but I cut across her. "Lily," I start. "If you're here to talk about Rose, Charlotte is delusional. She-"

"I _am _here to talk about Rose," Lily replies. "But honestly you-"

"Lily, it honestly wasn't me!" I say, exasperated. "I've tried to tell her a thousand times that it wasn't _me _that kissed her! Charlotte is trying to screw us up! Tell her that I-"

"Scorpius, you honestly need to shut up and listen to me." Lily says crossly. I try to conceal the look of awe and anger out of my eyes. I didn't _ever _expect to hear Lily Potter tell me to shut up. "She's over you," Lily says. My shoulders slump inadvertently.

"What?" I blurt, staring at the ground. "Sh-She doesn't like me anymore?"

The corner of Lily's mouth twitches, ever so slightly. Or was that my imagination…?

"Er, no," Lily says. "I mean she doesn't blame you anymore-"

I throw my arms around her and exclaim, "Yes!"

Lily immediately stiffens and I let go of her awkwardly. My face gets hot and I scratch the back of my head. "Uh, sorry." I say stupidly.

Lily blushes. "I-It's okay…" She stares at me for a second and then shakes her head. "Anyway, there's something else-" I knew it. "-and I just wanted to let you know that. She's not _trying _to give you the silent treatment. She's lost her voice."

"Oh," I say, my mouth slightly hanging open. Rose lost her voice? How? Before I can ask her she answers.

"Rose had been crying a lot," Lily explains. "She just felt… Er, well angry, most obviously. She didn't know what to do, so she just cried. She spent most of her time with me in the Gryffindor Common Room over the weekend. I saw you two. You and Charlotte, when you kissed." I look at the ground sheepishly. "I mean, your eyes were open in shock and all that so it guessed wasn't really _you. _I tried to tell her that but she insisted that it was your fault. But later I guess she realized that it really _wasn't _you that kissed her. Anyway, there's a second reason why she's upset and that," She takes a deep breath. "She and Lorcan got into a fight last Saturday. She was _really _screaming at him and eventually petrified him and sent him up in a tree. That's how she lost her voice. _Luckily, _she didn't get caught, and modified his memory so he didn't remember how he got up in the tree. She's not technically 'upset,' but she's definitely shaken from what happened."

"Wow," I said looking at her, impressed. "She did a lot over the weekend."

She rolls her eyes and hits my arm good-naturedly.

"I presume that she'll have her voice back soon enough," Lily says with a shrug. "I guess all that screaming really took its toll on her."

There's a moment of silence. "Did you really do that, though?" Lily asks suspiciously.

"What?" I said, tilting my head a little. "I didn't do anything."

"No," Lily replies. "You were acting all frantic when I said Rose was over you-" Lily's word slow down at the end, and suddenly her eyes widen and her jaw drops. My face grows hot again. _"No!" _Lily gasps, partially smiling. "Oh my _god, _Scorpius!"

I slap a hand over her mouth to keep her from saying any more. "Don't say _anything _about it right now!" I hiss at her. I remove my hand and she squeals.

"My _god _I can't believe it!" Lily says, jumping up and down.

I put my hands on her shoulders and put pressure on them. "Calm down," I say harshly.

Lily puts a hand over her mouth and screams into it, grinning. "Can I tell her?" She asks excitedly after removing her hand.

"No," I say, rubbing the back of my neck. Is it just me or is it hot in here all the sudden? "I…I want to tell her myself."

Lily smiles and shakes her head vigorously. "I'm going to go now!" She giggles, skipping away.

I watch her go with a half-smile on my face. I think I made a major error slipping up and practically telling Lily I like Rose, but I guess Lily knows, judging by the way she was acting. I think it's time I tell Rose. I stand there for a minute, then walk to the Heads' Dormitory. I open up the door and step inside.

"Rose?" I call up to her, standing at the bottom of her staircase. "I… Are you there?"

I see her door open and can't help but smile when I see her bound down the stairs. I expect her to stop when she gets to me, but instead she throws herself onto me in a hug, laughing. I laugh with her and spin her around. I set her on the ground and tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. This is the closest we've been in a really long time.

"I have my voice back," Rose said, grinning. "I suppose Lily told you everything. Madam Pomfrey whipped something up for me."

I think my meeting with Lily was planned by the way she said it, and it makes me instantly suspicious. _Focus. _I smile back. "Awesome," I reply.

"I fancy a walk," Rose said, giving me a sly look. "Care to join me?"

"Sure." She takes my hand, still smiling. She leads me out the door and down the corridors, not to a specific destination. The hallways are desolate; of course it's about a couple hours after dinner and a Saturday night. Everybody's probably hanging out in their Common Rooms.

"I'm sorry about the way I've been acting," She says after a while. "I just…well my voice was gone, so I couldn't really _talk_ to you. I at least should've told you that I had lost my voice… Well, honestly how could I have told you if I lost my voice?"

I laugh. "It's not that big of a deal." I hesitate. "Well I thought you were _intentionally _avoiding me…"

She shrugs. "I was at first. But then I had that fight with Lorcan…" She trails off.

"You get all sad about it," I said, starting to feel tense. "So do you actually have feelings for him?"

She stops and smiles. She ruffles my hair with one of her hands. _"Of course not,_ Scorpius, do you think I'm a bloody fool?" She smirks and we continue walking. "Lorcan was a haughty idiot and you know that." She scowls. "I would _never _like him."

"Then why were you dating him?"

She sighs. "I've _told you, _he wouldn't let me leave him. After _one _date in third year, he thinks we're perfect for each other and that rubbish." She shakes her head sadly. "He knew he probably couldn't have found anyone else to date, so he tightened his grip on me." She shrugs. "Of course, this is just an assumption-" She stops again and leans in, so her lips are by my ear. "-and just between you and me," she whispers. "Lorcan was cheating."

"On you, with someone else?" I ask her, surprised. "Or with you, _on_ someone else?"

She shrugs again. "I'm not completely sure. I'm pretty sure cheating on _me, _with someone else. I mean, he looked like he enjoyed her company, when I saw them…_kissing, _that is. That 'someone else' was this girl named Florence Hugh. She's a sixth year, who was _also _cheating. Her boyfriend was Jake Rendal. But I've already told Jake that she was cheating, so it's not a big deal. You're the only one that knows, besides me, Lorcan, Florence, Jake, and Lily of course."

"Do you tell Lily _everything?"_

"As a matter of fact, I do. Got a problem with that?"

"_No,_ I was just wondering. Don't have to get all defensive with me."

She sticks her tongue out at me jokingly. I roll my eyes. We continue walking.

"So did anything else interesting happen this past week?" I ask her.

"Nope, that's it," She replies. "Did _you _do anything?"

"No, except stare at you during classes."

She laughs and I can't help but smile. It's such a beautiful noise.

"Yes, I noticed that," she said, smiling. "I would look at you out of the corner of my eye, and every-single-time-" at each of those words she pokes my shoulder. "-you were looking back at me."

"Yes, well, I was trying to read your expression as to _why _you were ignoring me."

"That's your excuse?" She chuckles. "My friends thought you were checking me out."

I roll my eyes. _"Please, _like I would be checking _you _out-" I stop. Well, I guess I _would, _wouldn't I? Now _that's _awkward. Rose stops and she looks at me.

"Are you ok?" She asks me. "Was there something you wanted to tell me?" She raises her eyebrow.

"Uh," I said stupidly. I feel all the warmth in my body rush up to my head. _YES, _my brain screams at her. _YES YES YES! _"N-No…?" I lie. Of course, I failed.

She gives me an unsatisfied look. "I don't _believe_ you," she said. "You're _still _hiding things from me?" She drags me to an empty classroom. As soon as we're both inside, she shuts the door and lets go of my hand to cross her arms. "Scorpius, I thought we were friends."

"We are, Rose!" I exclaim. My heart starts to pound.

"Well it doesn't seem like it," she looks away. "I thought we told each other _everything."_

"Rose, it's not like that. I'm not hiding anything-"

She snaps her head back to me. "Prove it."

"How can I possibly _prove-?"_

"Tell me what's on your mind!"

"I, it-it's not that simple-"

"Well then, I guess that there's something you _do _have to keep from me. Seeing as you're not-"

"Rose, if I told you what was on my mind it would probably make you pass out." I blurt.

_Oh dang. I'm screwed._

"If you _don't _tell me I _will _pass out!" She shrieks. I can see the color rising in her cheeks.

"I-" I feel my palms start to sweat and wipe it off on my pants. I look at my shoes. "Rose, it has t-to do with my _feelings-" _apprehensively, I look at her and she still looks cross, but almost in amusement now. I stare back at the floor.

"And?" She prompts, tapping her foot on the floor impatiently.

"I-I…" How am I supposed to say this? "I like you?" That sounds kind of lame… It's _more _than just _liking _her… But is the word "love" too strong?

"Scorpius," She says, putting a cold finger under my chin. She gently pushes my chin upwards so I'm looking at her again. For some reason, I hadn't noticed that we were standing about a few feet away from each other. She removed her finger.

"I'm sorry," She says, taking me by surprise. "I didn't mean to make you upset or anything."

"N-No, it's ok," I stammered. "I… I _do _have to tell you something, but I don't know how to say it…"

She took a step forward. Two feet away.

She says, "You don't have to tell me. Honestly. I… I just felt like you were keeping something from me…and I wanted to know…"

Partially unaware of what I was doing, I also took a step forward. One foot away. I could feel her steady breaths on my cheeks.

"No, I… I'm just being stupid," I reply.

She was about an inch shorter than I was, and she tilted her head back –ever so slightly- to look into my eyes. Her beautiful blue eyes were shining. We were both leaning in… six inches.

"You're not stupid," She whispers. Her breath smelled like mint. Less than six inches. She closed her eyes.

The door openedand Rose's eyes snapped open. We jumped away from each other and looked at the doorway. Charlotte was standing there, two other girls beside her. She had a smirk planted on her face and her wand out.

"Having a nice chat?" Charlotte asked.

* * *

**A.N: Hi. :) This is an EXTREMELY SHORT CHAPTER, and I apologize for that. There is _surely _to be more suspense in the next chapter. I feel _really really really really really really really really _bad about that, but this was one of those chapters that has a lot of "explaining" and all that, so... Sorry. ****As you can see, Charlotte is there, so Charlotte always makes everything bad. **

**I hope you guys felt the supsense that I was trying to make, and as much as I wanted to make them kiss, I wanted them to be "interrupted." :P**

**This is sort of on the lousy side of chapters, but overall I think it _definitely _wasn't one of those "filler chapters" that you sometimes see. Of course -as much as I hate to admit it- Chapter 14 was probably one of those. It had no real intriguing points, and blah blah blah I'm lazy. So again, I apologize for this being boring and short. The two things that destroy a chapter... :l**

**-Jayna**


	17. Screw Charlotte

Chapter Seventeen: Screw Charlotte

* * *

**A.N: Pretty please with a cherry on top read my A.N. at the end!**

* * *

I immediately drew out my wand and pointed at Charlotte's face. Rose didn't hesitate when she got her wand out. She immediately shouted, _"Expelliarmus!" _and Charlotte's wand was in Rose's hand in a matter of seconds. Angry that their leader was disarmed, the two girls both fired hexes at Rose, but I said, _"Protego!" _and the spells bounced away, making the girls duck as their own spells ricocheted back at them. Charlotte put an arm out in front of them to make them stop, not removing her eyes from my face.

"Well, I guess _someone's _a little agitated tonight," Charlotte said, putting her arm down.

"Charlotte, you better get the _hell _out of here if you don't want your arse kicked," Rose spat.

I almost smiled. Almost. She nearly never swore!

Charlotte made "tsk" sounds with her mouth. "Now, Miss Weasley, I think you should watch your language," Charlotte said coolly. Her friends sniggered.

"Charlotte, you…you better listen to Rose," I said lamely, causing her friends to laugh harder.

"Like I would listen to _her."_ Charlotte said, rolling her eyes.

"Well I beg to differ, seeing how I'm Head Girl," Rose said proudly.

She glared at Rose. "I-"

"Charlotte," I interrupted. "Why do you keep trying to sabotage my relationship with Rose?"

Rose put her hand on my arm. "Yeah, I mean we'll always be friends. Nothing can ever change that."

_Friends._

"Anyway," I said. "It's _without a doubt, _that Rose and I are more skilled than you, so why did you even _bother _trying to start a duel with us?"

Charlotte just stared at me for a second. Then, as quick as a flash, she ripped one of the girl's wands out of her hand, and slashed the air with it. Something like a purple flame came out of the wand and passed through Rose's chest. She gave a small gasp before crumpling to the floor.

"Rose!" I shouted. In anger, I tore my eyes away from Rose and pointed my wand at both of Charlotte's friends, mentally screaming, _"Stupefy!" _They both immediately fell to the ground.

"How _dare _you!" I yelled at her, pointing my wand at her face, her mirroring my action. I knew Charlotte wouldn't dare do anything to me, seeing how she practically fancied me. …This being an _assumption. _

"She's not _dead _you idiot!" Charlotte shrieked at me. I resisted the urge to scream in triumph. "She's just-"

"Where did you even _learn _that type of bloody magic?!" I hollered at her, feeling sweat forming on my brow.

"From Nate," she muttered.

"Nate who?" I snarled.

"Nate Dolohov!" said Charlotte louder, looking slightly embarrassed. "He learned it from his grandfather! I can't believe I even hung out with him." She added more quietly.

"I don't give a unicorn's butt about who _he _learned it- whatever!"

"Scorpius, we wouldn't be _in _this mess if you would've just stop hanging out with Weasley!" She wrinkled her nose as she looked at Rose's unconscious form.

_"Oh, _so now you blame it on _Rose!" _I laughed hysterically and it sounded completely unlike me. Charlotte looked rather scared. "Charlotte, you're a bitch and you know it!" She sniffed. _"Petrificus Totalus!" _I thought. Charlotte's limbs sprung to her sides and she fell over.

I took Rose's wand from her limp hand and held it in my left hand. I picked her up, one arm under her knees, and the other under her shoulder blades, my right hand curling around her right shoulder. She was surprisingly light. I sighed as I stepped over Charlotte's body, her eyes moving around frantically. I walked as quickly as I could to the Hospital Wing, glancing down at Rose's face every so often. I was thankful when the door was already open. I feel like I've been here about a million times since I'd got here this year. I set Rose carefully on the bed closest to me and set her wand on the table next to it. I paced back and forth until Madam Pomfrey came rushing over.

"What happened to Miss Weasley?" She asked me quickly.

"Er, we sort of got into a duel with Charlotte Finnigan," I told her. "Then Charlotte slashed her wand and this purple flame went through her body. Then she fell." I finished lamely.

Her eyes widened. "Oddly enough, this has happened before…" She whispered, disregarding that it was Charlotte –bloody- Finnigan that did it to her.

"What?" I asked, bewildered. "To who?"

She swallowed. "Miss Weasley's mother."

I stared into space as Madam Pomfrey bustled around, tending to Rose. Was it _odd _that this had happened to Rose _and _her mom? _Well yeah, _I thought. _Why _wouldn't _it be weird?! _Nearly fifteen minutes later (I had been watching the clock) Madam Pomfrey wiped her brow and came up to me.

"Miss Weasley will thankfully be ok," Madam Pomfrey said. I nodded, trying to restrain my enthusiasm. "She'll be here for a couple weeks at the most, but she will be alright." I hugged Madam Pomfrey, not completely aware of what I was doing. Madam Pomfrey stood there stiffly as I said, "Thank you," and drew back.

She cleared her throat. "Yes, well then…" She walked over to another student lying in a bed.

I drew up a chair and sat next to Rose. I took her hand and rubbed the back of it with my thumb. It was cold.

"Oh, Rose," I sighed. "Please be ok."

* * *

I woke up only to find my face buried into a foul smelling…something. My back was hunched forward and it was _extremely_ uncomfortable. I sat up immediately, and I noticed that what I had face planted into was bed sheets. _Hospital Wing bed sheets._ _I slept in this putrid hospital wing?! _I thought disgustedly as I grimaced. I felt my fingers curled around something. I looked down and I saw that it was Rose's hand. My face immediately softened when I looked at Rose's face. Her eyes were still closed, but I could see her stomach rising and falling slowly. Of course Madam Pomfrey had told me she'd be alright, but I still sighed of relief when I saw her breathing. It was dark, and a blanket was across my shoulders. (I guessed Madam Pomfrey had put it there.) I squinted at the circle on the wall that was the clock a couple minutes before realizing I had my watch on. It read 12:48 AM. Gee, great, it's bloody twelve in the morning. I slept for like _five hours_ here?! That's nuts. Anyone who can _sleep _in the ruddy place is nuts. Er, well I guess I did, when I had that fight with Lorcan, but that's beside the point! I stared at my watch, the second hand ticking away when I felt Rose stir. I looked at her face again, and she slowly opened her eyes, and they were crossed. She looked so ridiculous that I couldn't help but laugh silently as she blinked a few times to straighten them out. She looked at me, swallowed, licked her dry lips, and then squeezed my hand.

"Can you talk?" I asked her.

"Yes," she said with a scratchy voice. I didn't wince at the sound, but she did. "We really need to do something about you saving me all the time," she whispered almost inaudibly, giving me a small smile. I smiled back.

"Do you want some water?"

"Please."

I let go of her hand and fumbled around in the darkness for my wand. _"Accio cup!"_

A glass flew from out of one of the cabinets on the wall and into my hand. _"Aguamenti!" _Water came out of my wand and into the glass. I set my wand and the glass on the table next to me. Without her asking, (because I'm so nice) I helped her to sit up by putting my hand under her knees and around her back. She winced and groaned, clutching the sides of her body near her ribs.

"Damn Charlotte," She muttered.

I laughed. I handed her the glass and she accepted it graciously. She raised the glass.

"To Scorpius," she said quietly, making my face go red. "And his undeniably charming acts of heroism." I scratched the back of my head nervously. She drained the glass in a matter of seconds, wiping her mouth on the sleeve of her shirt. She handed the glass back to me.

"Need more?" I asked, not meeting her gaze.

"No, I'm good," she said. Her voice sounded better now. She carefully lowered herself back down to a laying position. She groaned again, but nevertheless continued sliding down under the blankets.

"I can't bloody _move _without hurting," she muttered.

I didn't technically know how to respond so I nodded and looked away. We sat in silence for a few moments, and then I turned back to her asked awkwardly, "D-D'you want me to stay here with you overnight?"

I could see very faintly that she had blushed, the moon being my only source of light. "It-It's rather _flattering _that you care, but no, I need you. I mean I don't need you!" She added hastily, her face getting redder.

"Are you sure?"

"Positi- ow!"

"I'm staying."

"Oh, alright." She started to slowly move over. "You should probably sleep somewhere more comfortable-"

"Uh, no. I'm not sleeping in the same bed as you."

"Sorry, I suppose that's a bit awkward isn't it?" she said, sliding back over, obviously embarrassed.

"Yeah. I mean- er, it was very _generous _of you-"

"Oh, shut it, Scorpius."

"Ok."

I conjured another chair and _fresh _pillows and blankets. I positioned the chairs so that they were pushed up against the bed and facing toward each other. I put one blanket over the chairs, put a couple pillows over it, laid on top of that, and pulled a blanket over me. I had to bend my knees and it was somewhat comfortable, but I didn't really care. It would be too awkward sleeping in the same bed as Rose, _especially _that it was the bloody _Hospital Wing _bed. I turned so I was facing her, and she was on the edge of the bed closest to me. Our faces were only a foot apart, and I felt my heart start to pound.

"Some system you got there," Rose said, smiling.

"I should be an inventor," I replied, smiling back. "I would call it 'The Chair Bed.' That sounds right, doesn't it? _'The Chair Bed,'_ by Scorpius Malfoy."

She laughed. She opened her mouth as to say something, but then closed it.

"What?" I said immediately, knowing that she was hiding something.

"Nothing," she replied.

_"Rose."_

She sighed. "You know me _too _well, Scorpius Malfoy."

The way she said my name ran a shiver down my back.

I smirked. Or, well I _think _it was a smirk, seeing how my face was half-way smashed into a pillow.

"I'll show you when I get out of here."

"How 'bout now?"

"Scorpius, I'm dead tired and too weak to even bat an eyelash."

"Right, bad time for you to go prancing up stairs to show me something."

We stared at each other for a moment, and then laughed. Quietly. Who would've thought that I would've had fun with Rose in a bloody _Hospital Wing _when she was practically crippled and I was laying on a chair bed? (Hmm, that's starting to grow on me.) I _definitely _would have not seen that coming. The Hospital Wing is _disgusting._

"You don't know what you do to me," Rose sighed after we had stopped laughing.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Oh, that's not _bad. _It's a good thing." She smiled again.

I hesitated. "How, may I ask?"

"You can make me laugh, even in the worst situations," She whispered. "You can make me smile, even if I'm feeling like everyone wants to kill me. You make me feel like I'm special." She finished almost so quietly I couldn't hear her.

"I-er," I said stupidly. My heart was still pounding from being this close to her. Our faces only inches apart. We had nearly kissed earlier today… Or yesterday, rather. "Rose, I-I don't…"

"You don't have to say anything," she sighed, turning away from me and onto her back. She stared at the ceiling. "I just thought I ought to let you know…"

"Rose," Oh hell what am I doing? "You…you do the same thing to me."

She instantly turned her head back to me, eyes gleaming. "You're serious?"

"Why would I joke about that?"

She paused. "I wish I wasn't in this horrible place. It would make things a lot less awkward."

I chuckled. "Agreed," I said. I put my left hand on the bed to support myself, slid my right under her head, lifted it slowly, placed my lips on her cheek lightly, then put her head back down on the pillow. "G'night, Rose."

"Goodnight, Scorpius." She whispered back, her face still red.

I laid back down on my chair bed and closed my eyes.

* * *

"What the ruddy _HELL _is he doing here?!"

I sat up immediately and there was light pouring in everywhere. _Where am I? _My back felt all stiff and my legs were numb. I was still wearing my clothes and I felt extremely uncomfortable. I rubbed my eyes and blinked the sleep out of them.

Rose's family was surrounding me. I noticed that Rose's dad wasn't among them. I guess he's still missing… I looked to my right and saw Rose, sitting up as well, rubbing her eyes. She looked about as shocked as I did.

"Scorpius?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Er, hello Mrs. Weasley." I said awkwardly.

"What are you _doing?" _Lily said, examining my chair bed.

"Er, I-"

"WHAT IS SCORPIUS _–BLOODY– _MALFOY DOING HERE?!"

"James! Calm down!"

"NO! I most certainly-"

"Rose are you ok?"

"What's even going on here?"

"What's up with Scorpius?"

"What is he _laying _on?"

"SHUT UP!" Rose yelled over everybody's voices. They obeyed. "What are you all _doing _here?"

"Professor McGonagall told us what happened," Hugo said, looking worriedly between both me and Rose. "We only got the news this morning and mum and dad rushed over here. Oh, and James of course." James looked very cross and his hair was messy. "They skipped work today-"

"Oh, _guys _you didn't have to do that!" Rose said immediately.

James waved it off. "Rose, you're my cousin and I care about you."

She tried for a smile but it just looked like a grimace.

Mrs. Weasley knelt by Rose (not the side I was on, of course). "We wanted to hear what happened from you, even though Professor McGonagall pretty much told us." She said, looking very pale and scared.

"Scorpius saw it all," Rose said, gesturing toward me. "I blacked out."

"Er," I said stupidly, scratching the back of my head. "Well-"

_"First of all," _James interjected. "I want to know what business _he _has here." He pointed at me.

"James," Mr. Potter said warningly. (Yes, _the _famous Harry Potter.)

"No, dad," James said, glaring at his father. "I want to know why _he _always seems to be involved."

"Well," I chimed in. "I'm only here because I wanted to make sure Rose was ok-"

James snorted loudly. "Like _that's _believable."

"Well it should be!" I said indignantly. "I _care _about her!"

James' jaw dropped, as did half of her family's. Rose blushed and stared at the blanket she was twisting in her hands.

"Anyway," I said, glaring at James. "Rose and I were taking a walk-" James wrinkled his nose but Mr. Potter put his hand firmly on James' shoulder. "-and we happened to come across Charlotte Finnigan." I decided to leave out the part that we nearly kissed, seeing how that would probably end up with me being shot with forty (give or take a few) Killing Curses. Mrs. Weasley and Mr. Potter looked confused.

"Our old friend Seamus' _daughter?"_ Mrs. Weasley said, obviously shocked that her "old friend's" daughter was pure evil. She looked at Mr. and Mrs. Potter.

"Knew he was sort of a nutter," Mr. Potter muttered. Rose, Hugo, and Lily laughed.

"Well, I don't think that has anything to do with it." Mrs. Weasley whispered to herself, holding a hand to her heart.

"We sort of got into a duel," I went on. "And Charlotte slashed the air and a purple flame shot out of her wand and hit Rose."

At "purple flame," Mrs. Weasley shrieked and slapped a hand over her mouth. Tears welled in her eyes as Mr. and Mrs. Potter looked at her apprehensively. Madam Pomfrey had told me that the same thing had happened to Mrs. Weasley, but I guess I didn't take it that seriously. Without warning, Mrs. Weasley flung herself at her only daughter and started sobbing.

"Oh m-my p-poor Rosie!" She cried, running her hand over Rose's hair. Rose looked completely shocked and unsure how to respond to this. "I c-can't believe y-you had t-to go through this!"

"Mum," Rose said weakly. _"Mum, _I'm completely _fine, _it's okay." She rubbed her mum's back and stared at the floor. "It-It's not that big of a deal-"

Mrs. Weasley gasped again and just cried harder. "Y-Yes it is, R-Rose!" Mrs. Weasley sat back up and sniffled, digging around her purse for tissues. "T-Terrible things happened that d-day a-and I wasn't even c-conscious!"

"Hermione," Mr. Potter said, putting a hand supportively on her shoulder. It was strange to hear Rose's mum called by her first name. "It's alright." He sounded sort of choked up. He cleared his throat and looked at Rose, disregarding me. "That day was the Battle of The Department of Mysteries. My godfather died that day, and I had put my closest friends in danger." He took his hand off of Mrs. Weasley's shoulder and shook his head sadly. "I was a fool."

"Harry, don't say that!" Mrs. Potter said, coming forward as well. "Voldemort was screwing around with you, and you thought he was torturing Sirius-"

"Sirius Black?" Hugo interrupted. "Sorry, but wasn't he a _murderer?" _

Mr. Potter chuckled and turned to look at Hugo. "No, he was actually a friend of my dad's. People thought he was involved in a mass muggle killing. It was actually Peter Pettigrew who had killed them all, _and _faked his own death by cutting off his finger."

"Who would be so messed up as to do that?!" I yelled, trying to get involved. Everyone stared at me and I felt my neck get hot.

"Apparently Peter would," Mr. Potter said, looking at me for the first time since they arrived.

I stared at him for a moment. Why does everybody _still _seem to hate me, even though I've been friends with Rose for like two months?! (Give or take a few days)

"I-I'm just still worried about my Rose," Mrs. Weasley said, dabbing at her face with tissues. She stopped her actions to look at Rose. "Are you _sure _you're ok?"

"Yes mum, I'm fine!" Rose said, throwing her hands in the air. "I'm not a _baby _anymore, I can take care of myself!"

"With the help of Scorpius," Lily muttered. Rose shot her a death-glare and Lily giggled. I shuddered. She is _way _too good at facial expressions.

* * *

**A.N: Well hello everybody! Are you all enjoying it so far? I hope you are!**

**Yeah, the whole duel with Charlotte, that might've seemed pointless and short. I seem to really like getting Rose stuck in the Hospital Wing, huh?**

**I have important news for you! **

_**SO IF YOU DON'T USUALLY READ MY AUTHOR'S NOTES, READ THIS ONE PLEASE!**_

**I have a dilemma. And I need your help.**

**I think I might want to delete this story. But hey! There's a few options:**

**1) Delete this story and work from Rose's POV**

**2) Keep this story, but work from Rose's POV**

**3) Keep this story, and add important chapters from Rose's POV in this story (I'll explain this later)**

**Problems with option 1- I lose all of the beautiful reviews, _views, _follows, and favorites connected to this story. And it really _pains _me to say this, so I'm not 100% sure I'll do this.**

**Okay, about option 3- My point is, I'll just add in here and there a chapter or two in Rose's POV. The thing is, there are important parts of the story that only Rose goes through, such as her fight with Lorcan, her talks with Lily, and _especially _her feelings (and stuff). This _might _be a better option, because I get to keep my story, I get to write from Rose's POV, and you get both sides of the story. But I think this would get confusing (even though I would tell you who's POV it is), because sometimes I might have to switch back and forth and all that. The reason why I was writing two separate stories is because I've read fan fictions that switch POVs, and I just thought it was kind of sloppy.**

**The plus about option 1 (although there are a few) is that I get to write as a _girl _and not a bloke. I find it hard to write some of the events that happen because, well, I'm not a guy! I don't know what goes through their heads! Buy anyway, I guess I've managed this far, yeah?**

**Thank you to all who read that, and please PM or review and tell me what you think! I need all of the advice I can get!**

******Also, I'm thinking about _COMPLETELY _remodeling the beginning of this story, so yeah! Even if you say it's fine, I'm still changing it. The next chapter update I'll tell you what I've remodeled and whatnot.**

**Oh, and a shoutout to Moonprincess92 and her story Getting It Right! I read it, and I have to say, that's some _spectacular _writing. Although, if you read my review you can get a more explicit description. ;)**

**(That was painfully long.)**

**Thanks again- AND REVIEW!**

**-Jayna**


	18. Two Potter Kids and a Bitch

Chapter Eighteen: Two Potter Kids and a Bitch

* * *

After a lot of talking and more rubbish, Rose's family finally left. Madam Pomfrey had flipped out from seeing so many people crowded around Rose and me, so technically they had been kicked out. James was lingering behind, so I knew something bad was going to happen. Rose insisted that she felt fine, but Madam Pomfrey said she _would _do what she had to to keep Rose in bed. At that, Rose grudgingly fell back in bed, wincing and clutching her side.

"See, Rose?" I pointed out. "You need rest."

"But-But…" She protested.

"Here, dear," Madam Pomfrey said, suddenly turning all nice. She handed her a cup of potion. "It will give you a dreamless sleep."

Rose made a sour face, and then drained it. She wiped her mouth with the bed sheet and handed the cup back to Madam Pomfrey.

"I-I…" Rose started, but then she closed her eyes and slumped over, snoring quietly.

I snorted lightly and smiled. Madam Pomfrey walked away and went to treat some other kid a couple beds away from Rose.

Before I even had time to process it, James had spun me around and seized the collar of my shirt.

"Are you _trying _to mess up my family?!" He said harshly.

"I-No," I said awkwardly. "I'm just trying to-"

"Shut up, you idiot!" James spat. "Rose may be a bit insane sometimes, but she's still fantastic-"

"I know!" I was starting to choke from James' tight grip on my shirt. "I know she's fantastic, she's bloody _brilliant _at everything—even Quidditch and guy stuff like that-" James' eyes narrowed. "-and I'm only trying to protect her-"

"'Protect her?'" James said. He laughed hysterically. _"Please! _Scorpius Malfoy, Rose's enemy of six years wants to _protect her?!"_

"Hell, James, I know it sounds weird!" I said hoarsely. "B-But you have to believe me on this-"

"You think I'm a fool? Do you honestly think that I'll-I'll believe that _you—_of all people—have befriended my Rosie-?"

"Well you should! We've been friends for months and you're the only who hasn't accepted it yet!" I gasped. "Wh-Why are you so protective of Rose anyway?"

"Because she's my cousin! She's family, and I love her! She's been complaining about what a bastard you are for years, and now all the sudden it changed? There's something you've gotta be up to, Malfoy!"

"I'M NOT 'UP TO' ANYTHING!" I shouted as loud as I could. "Rose is my best friend and I care about her! Why do you think that's so wrong?!"

He let go of me and I rubbed my neck. He stared at me.

"You… You _care _about her…" James said quietly, obviously surprised.

Exasperatedly, I replied, "James I've said that before! Like twenty minutes ago! I care about Rosie-"

"Did you just call her _Rosie?"_

For some reason, I swore at myself mentally.

"I mean… Dang, you guys make it hard not to! You're always calling her Rosie, it's probably going to become a habit of mine now-"

"You just called her Rosie!" James yelled, looking at me with an unreadable expression.

"_James, get over it!_ Anyway, I care about her and I would probably kill myself if something bad happened to her."

"Well consider yourself dead because this-" He gestured toward Rose lying on the bed. "-is definitely bad."

"You know what I'm getting at though," I said quickly.

He hesitated. "Yeah, I guess I do."

"So then do you believe that I've genuinely and truly changed?"

He didn't answer. I put out my hand. He stared at it for a moment, and then shook it.

"Yes," he decided on. He quickly let go of my hand and looked at me. "Honestly, only our family calls her Rosie." Is he seriously going on about that?

"James, I just slipped, it's not that big of a deal-" I don't know why, but I stopped because of the look on his face. I hesitated before I said, "Well then, I guess we're all good now, yeah?"

"Sure," he muttered. "Oh, and by the way," he cleared his throat awkwardly. "I _may _have manipulated your friends into trying to get you to stay away from Rose a while ago." I gaped at him. "See you." He walked off before I could even reply.

I scratched the back of my head. _What just happened?_

* * *

I spent the rest of my Saturday morning out on the grounds, particularly under the willow tree Rose and I had first—officially—become friends under. _My life is so messed up, _I thought disgustedly. This year already, I had had a shouting match with my worst enemy, _befriended _my enemy, had a _picnic _with my enemy/friend, had a do-over picnic with my enemy/friend, gone to the Hospital Wing countless times, been invited over for Christmas by my enemy/friend, someone from my year got thrown into Azkaban, had a Halloween party that ended up being the worst day of my life, nearly kissed my enemy/friend, nearly gotten _killed _by my enemy/friend's family, beat the shit out of my enemy/friend's old boyfriend, almost had my parents get divorced, and all the while trying not to tear my hair out!

I didn't even realize someone was standing next to me until they cleared their throat. I unglued my eyes from the lake and turned my head towards the sound.

"Oh, hey Lily," I said nonchalantly.

"Hey," Lily replied. "Mind if I sit?" I didn't even get to answer, she just plopped herself down next to me.

"You have a bizarre brother, you know that?" I said after a moment's silence.

"I get that a lot," she shrugged. "About both Albus and James. Maybe not that nicely though. They're bastards, that's for sure."

I laughed. She gave me a half-smile. "You don't even talk to me unless it's about something serious," I said. "So lay it on me."

She sighed. "How's Rose?"

I shrugged. "Well Madam Pomfrey gave her a Sleeping Draught after you guys left-"

"No," she interrupted. "I mean how's your relationship going."

My face and neck instantly grew hot. "Our r-relationship?"

"Sure, like is she being a good friend and all that?"

I stared at her. "What kind of question is that?"

She stared back at me for a moment, searching my face. "HELL SCORPIUS, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" She exploded. I slapped a hand over her mouth and looked around frantically for anyone who heard her.

"Lily, I thought we agreed not to talk about that?" I whispered harshly, taking my hand off of her mouth.

"No, we actually didn't," She pointed out.

_"Whatever, _but still… So you know…?"

She frowned at me. "Scorpius, I've known it since it started."

I gulped and licked my lips. "What?"

She rolled her eyes. "Please, Scorpius, I could tell when you started acting all strange around Rose. Of course, she tells me everything, and I've been known to be more perceptive than most."

It was my turn to roll my eyes. "Oh, _sure."_

"No, really! I'm being honest!"

"Mhmm, yeah."

"Well anyway, I haven't told her-"

"Do _not _say yet!" I interrupted. _"I _will be the one to tell her…when the time comes."

"'When the time comes' my _arse!" _She shrieked. "Scorpius, Rose is bloody _hot, _and I'm not just saying that because she's my cousin. If you don't make your move, somebody else will."

I narrowed my eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Even though you already know you like her, other guys are going to start to notice too. She's _single _now, ever since she had that fight with Lorcan. This random kid from Ravenclaw asked her out yesterday at lunch!"

I stared at her. "What?!"

"Oh yeah! She obviously said no, of course. Oh, and you _do _know that Rose and Lorcan's fight was over you, right?"

My jaw dropped. _"What?!" _I repeated.

"Hell yeah, Scorpius!" She said, obviously excited on telling the story again. "Lorcan thought she was hanging out with you too much and got overprotective—and that rubbish—so Rose said there was nothing between you guys-" I cringed involuntarily. "-and then it all spiraled down from there!"

"Oh," I said, looking down.

She punched my arm lightly. "Hey," she said. "I'm sorry, but I think she might be over you…"

I nodded sadly.

She hesitated for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"Scorpius," She giggled, clutching her side. "She nearly kissed you last night, what do you think?!"

"Wait—how do you know that?"

"I just got finished talking with her."

"Wait—she's awake?"

"Yeah! Scorpius, you left her at about nine AM. It's like three 'o' clock now."

"What?! That potion must've worn off fast."

"Yeah, whatever. But really, what were you thinking?"

"I don't know… Whenever I hear that she says that, I get all like sad. Or angry."

"How about jealous?"

"Sure, but not really. I guess it would've been jealousy when Rose was dating Lorcan."

"Fair enough," she shrugged. The humongous clock inside Hogwarts chimed three times. "Yeah, well now it's three."

I took a shaky breath. "D'you… D'you think I should go talk to her?"

She grinned. "I think you should, but…" she pushed her lips to the side. "It _might _be a bad time now, seeing how she's in that grubby Hospital Wing."

I laughed. "Yeah, Madam Pomfrey said she'd be there for a couple weeks."

"But she's a tough girl. She usually heals fast."

I nodded. Lily hopped up suddenly.

"I guess I'll see you 'round, Scorpius," brushing herself off.

"Yeah, see you Lily."

She turned around and started walking away.

"Nice talking with you!" I called after her. She waved a hand dismissively and continued into the castle.

* * *

The conversation I had with Lily sort of made me a bit more at ease. Only now, looking back on it, does it seem awkward that I was talking to _her_ about my feelings. I mean, she's really the only friend (I guess) that's a girl that _isn't _Rose. Oh well. I evidently had missed lunch, so I stopped by the kitchen to get a sandwich before heading back to the Head's Dormitory. There were three days before my seventeenth birthday and I was really hoping that Rose and I… could… I don't know, but I was hoping something _special _could happen… I sound like a girl again.

I stepped into the Heads' Dormitory and slumped onto the couch. I felt weighed down by something mentally—if that makes any sense. It felt like a mixture of passion and longing…for Rose. I thought about what Lily had said about Rose being asked out by that Ravenclaw bloke. Other guys are going to start to "notice her?" I guess I'd better tell her that I like her, otherwise she might have a new boyfriend soon… I can't deny—she _is _hot. She always complained to me that she was ugly because of her freckles and her hair but I always told her she looked fine. That's the opposite of what it used to be; it used to be me telling her she's ugly. But now…sometimes I can't help but stare at her.

I was feeling antsy, so I decided to go visit her in the Hospital Wing.

For about the one hundredth time.

* * *

I pushed past people who had better things to do than I did on my way to the Hospital Wing. I'm starting to get sick of constantly going to that revolting place, but I guess I'd do anything to make sure Rose was ok. I sighed as I pushed open the door to the Hospital Wing.

"Hey Scorpius," Rose said weakly when I sat down on the bed next to her.

"Hey," I replied. "You feeling ok?"

She put a hand on her side and moaned. "What do you think?"

"I'll take that as a no."

"I feel like someone dropped an elephant on my chest."

"That would be kind of disturbing if someone did."

"I'm not in the mood to joke around."

"I can tell." I wasn't completely sure _why _I was being a jerk, but I was honestly just blurting things out.

"If you're going to be like the bastard you used to be you can get the hell out of here."

I guess she noticed.

I ran a hand through my hair. "I'm sorry Rose. I… I'm just feeling a bit uneasy."

"Why?"

"To be honest, I don't really know."

"Ah, well we all have those crap days where we don't really know why we do things, but we do them anyway, and sometimes the things we do get us in trouble. Did you know that the word 'trouble' has a 'u' in it? But when you say 'trouble' you don't hear the 'u.' So would that make it a silent 'u?' But I've never heard of a silent 'u' before, so maybe that hasn't been invented yet. That might not make sense, but it makes sense in Roseville."

I stared at her. "Um, that's a bit weird…"

"Yeah, I know."

"Do you feel ok?"

"Peachy."

"You seem a bit…_off."_

"Mhmm."

She stared back.

"I'll see you when I visit Roseville again."

"Huh?"

And then she fell asleep.

Okay, I think that potion is making her delusional. Or is that just Rose being Rose?

I stood up and lightly kissed Rose on the forehead. I shoved my hands in my pockets and left.

No more than a couple minutes later did I run into the last person I wanted to see.

You can probably guess who.

"Ah, how is little Rosie doing?" Charlotte said mockingly, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow. "I guess I could be credited with the fantastic magic that landed her in there for the—what is it now—fourth time?"

"Charlotte," I practically growled, taking my hands out of my pockets to ball them into fists. "You better stay out of our lives or there's going to be one less person alive in this castle."

She threw her head back and laughed—no, _cackled. _"Scorpius, Scorpius, Scorpius," she shook her head slowly and walked around me. "You _really _think I'll let you go that easily?"

"'Let me go?' What does that even _mean?!" _

"It means," she finished her circle around me and looked me straight in the eye. "I'm not through with you yet."

I whipped out my wand, slammed her into the wall, and pushed my arm over her neck. She clawed furiously at my arm, but that just made me press it harder into her neck. She coughed.

"You're horrible at threats, you know that?" I spat. I put my wand on her forehead. Her eyes glared at me as her face turned steadily more red. She breathed heavily as her fingers curled around my arm. "You know what else you are? Bloody confusing! First you're all over me, then you act like we're just friends, and then you go and screw up everything like the filthy bitch you are! I hope you take my advice and stay _out _of my life, or things are going to end up _dirty."_

I bet if it was possible, Charlotte's eyes would've turned into little fireballs she was so angry. I honestly didn't care if she was suffocating or not. She pulled desperately at my arm, but I didn't move it. "Consider this your last warning," I finished scathingly. I dropped my arm and she collapsed on the floor, gasping and clutching at her neck. She was shaking horribly but I honestly didn't care. I kicked her—not hard enough to put her in tons of pain—and she groaned.

"Y-You b-bastard!" She said hoarsely.

"I've been told that a lot," I said, walking away.

* * *

I really hoped that I wasn't going to get in trouble for what I did to Charlotte. _Please, _the bitch deserved what she got! I'm surprised she hasn't been expelled yet. She's done so many shitty things to me and Rose that I've lost count. Besides, she's screwed up Dale, too. Did I not tell you this already? Well, when Dale finally believed that it wasn't _me _that kissed Charlotte on Halloween, he stormed over to Charlotte, slapped her, and shouted at her that they were "over." Charlotte pleaded desperately with him to take her back, but of course he didn't buy it. It wasn't technically considered "cheating," but if your girlfriend went and kissed your _best friend _I think that could be classified as an issue.

Charlotte needs to go die in a hole.

* * *

**A.N: Yes she does.**

**Hello again! I apologize for this _extremely _late chapter. I've had a very busy May, what with it being my brother's birthday month, and the month of the Musical performances. It was bloody awesome! I had tons of fun! I encourage all of you out there to attempt singing! :)**

**Anyway.**

**I've done some _major _editing with the beginning, so if you haven't checked out the beginning chapters, I suggest you do so. That's partially why this chapter is somewhat "late." The editing took a mighty long time to do, it was that bad. So yes, it should be a bit more smooth, although it might still be a bit choppy... To be honest, I'm _still _not done.**

**This chapter might've seemed like one of those "filler" chapters. I'm sorry, I've hit writer's block hard, and it's kind of getting difficult to come up with new ideas. Well, the ideas I _do _come up with are for later chapters. So yeah. I'm getting ahead of myself again.**

**I appreciate all of the support you guys are giving me! OH. Yes, and thank you for all of your input on the last chapter's A.N! I was glad to hear that you're all liking the story (most chose option 3/not deleting) and it helped me figure out where I'm going to go with this story. I could go on forever how much the beginning related to UTTERMOST CRAP so yeah.**

**It might be a while before I post another chapter, I have a very busy June planned out! So again, sorry in advance!**

**I promise much more Scorpius/Rose drama/romance in the next few chapters. Rose is in a bit of pickle right now.**

**Thanks for reading this, it means a lot! Er, well not just the Author's Note but you get my point.**

**Feedback, please?**

**(Ha ha sorry) P.S. Thanks A MILLION for 10,996 views!**

**-Jayna**


	19. NOTICE: Not actual chapter

_***NOTICE***_

I apologize, this is _not _an actual chapter.

Oh my gosh, I just want to murder my computer.

I am so sorry you guys.

This story is just so utterly _screwed up _and _messy,_ I just want to stab a hole in my computer.

I had _such _a busy June, and I was on a trip to Europe for a week (sadly, I'm not actually British), and I didn't have Wi-Fi...

You're probably all so mad at me right now...

_Please, please, please _forgive me for my lack of writing/posting. I have hit writer's block harder than ever, and I just don't know if I should continue... I will keep it for "old-times sake" if I decide not to continue. But I just think that all of you were foolish to ever believe that this would be a good story. It is just _so so so messed up _and I don't know if I can fix it. I can definitely try, but this is going to take me a good week or two. I am so sorry for everything you guys. If you did have faith in me, thank you for that. But now's the time to drop it. I am going to delete this when I finally clean everything up to the point where I think it's _somewhat _presentable, and post the next _actual _chapter. I dunno how long this will actually take me, but you know... 1 to 2 weeks is an estimate. I am SO sorry! I know you're all disappointed in me and obviously angry and upset... Please, just bear with me. This story might be entirely new by the time I'm done with it. I am practically killing myself for you guys, so don't say anything more pressurizing if you review or whatever. Trust me, I've been mad at myself for a long time for putting this off. You're all probably disgusted with me... I know I'm letting you all down... I wouldn't be surprised if I lost followers and favorites... I don't blame you guys.

On the optimistic side, the story will be completely renovated, and will certainly be better than before. Please don't be too angry with me as to not look at this when I'm done revising it... Yay, 12,000 views! Thank you guys so much to all of you-despite my total failure-for getting me that far. This story is just a load of _crappiness, _so I'm glad you guys somehow managed to enjoy it...

Thank you for reading this, it means a lot if you bothered to read it all...

Please don't hate me!

-Jayna


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